


Unwritten

by catemonsterq



Series: Swallowed By The New [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: CampNaNoWriMo, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Light BDSM, Light Bondage, Marking, Multiple Orgasms, Nipple Play, Obedience, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Praise Kink, Sex Toy Mjolnir, Spanking, my kinks: let me show you them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-09-30 23:55:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 74,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17233550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catemonsterq/pseuds/catemonsterq
Summary: Darcy is positive the last thing she needs is a relationship. Her relationships invariably end poorly and leave her disappointed, so it's for the best that she just not have them. All of this is turned on its head when Thor begins to flirt with her and introduces something new in her life.Or, Darcy discovers she's subby and loves it





	1. No Risk, No Earning

**Author's Note:**

> This is set post-AoU, but in a happy little world where Bucky and Steve have been reunited and all Avengers and Avengers-Associates are living in NYC.
> 
> I’d initially intended on writing a PWP, but then that’s not what Darcy wanted at all. Next, I challenged myself to write 25000 words, higher than any of my previous word counts. *Glances at word count* 70,000+ words later. . . 
> 
> This story is finished and I will be posting chapters daily as I go through and make any edits needed. This fic isn’t anywhere near a slow burn, though you will have to wait for a few chapters before the E rated material really starts. Once it gets going I’ll slowly be ramping up the light BDSM elements as well.
> 
> Finally, story and chapter titles are all from the Glen Phillips song “Unwritten”.

“Okay, now let’s get one with Dolly Parton in it,” Tony said as he gestured towards Darcy. She rolled her eyes at the comparison - there was no way her breasts were as large as the music legends, but she did have to admit the dress she was in accentuated her assets rather nicely.

“Tony, I hardly think  _ Us Weekly _ wants me in their spread on this event,” Darcy quipped as she made her way towards the group of Avengers in evening wear.

“You don’t know that. Anyway, this one is for the recruitment booklet,” Tony joked as he wrapped an arm around Darcy’s shoulder loosely.

“Oh great, we’re recruiting superheroes now? Please tell me I don’t have to screen the applicants.”

“Shut up and smile for the camera, Short Stuff.”

A few flashbulbs went off and the group of Avengers and associated dates moved on towards the door. Once they were inside the team dispersed, their usual routine at a place like this. Tony would go immediately to the bar to scoff at whatever they considered top shelf liquor. Clint and Natasha would take to the dance floor, ostensibly to look good together, but Darcy knew that they were really scanning the perimeter of the room, searching for exits and making sure the team was safe. Steve had never felt comfortable leaving admiring fans in the lurch, so he’d stand by the entrance while people flocked to him. His shadow, Bucky, wouldn’t be far behind.

Darcy made her way to their table to survey the room. Thor was known to bring home a pretty, young thing from these events and she and Tony had made a game of guessing who it would be at each event. “Blonde, 2 o’clock,” she said to Tony as he and Pepper sat down at the table.

“No way,” Tony replied as he handed her a bourbon. “Point Break can do better than that and he knows it.”

“Fifty bucks,” Darcy countered as she took a sip of her drink.

“You can’t be serious,” Pepper chimed in from Tony’s side just as Tony stuck out his hand and said, “Deal.”

Clint and Natasha finished up their survey of the room and came to join them at the table. “Short Stack has fifty dollars on Thor taking home the blonde at two o’clock,” Tony immediately spoke up.

Natasha stayed silent as Clint looked between the blonde that was mentioned and Darcy. “Nope, not happening,” he said after a moment's pause. When Darcy raised her eyebrow at him in question he continued, “I have it on reasonably good authority that he prefers brunettes. Particularly ones with lar-” Clint stopped suddenly, wincing as he looked to Natasha, “What?”

“It does not do to tell secrets that are not our own, Clint,” was all the spy would say.

Before Darcy could question Clint further Thor came to the table and took a seat next to her. When he sat down he seemed to be much closer to her than to Natasha on his other side which Darcy thought was strange, but it wasn’t the first time he’d sat a little too close to her and she chalked it up to an Asgardian Personal Space Thing. “Good evening, Lady Darcy,” he said.

“Hey, Big Guy,” Darcy smiled. She’d never been a huge fan of these events, though she understood as the main Avengers PR representative she needed to attend them. Lately, though, always being here without a date was wearing on her. Not to mention having to see her rather attractive coworkers in perfectly tailored tuxedos. She was having trouble remembering why she’d decided to swear off relationships, and as an unfortunate by-product, sex.

“I must say,” Thor smiled, his eyes twinkling, “You look quite lovely this evening.”

Darcy could feel herself blushing, “Thanks,” she said quietly.

It wasn’t long before the rest of the team reached their table and shortly after everyone was seated the boring speeches began. Darcy especially hated this part - except Thor was still sitting not-quite-too close to her and anytime she shifted in her seat their knees knocked together. She wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not, but then Thor put his arm around the back of her seat and let his fingers dance idly over the bare skin of her shoulder. Definitely intentional, then.

He’d been sitting closer and paying more attention to Darcy for a few weeks now and she wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. On the one hand, hello extraordinarily hot man that people actually worshipped as a god. On the other, her very best friend’s ex-boyfriend. It had been two years since Darcy had been with anyone, but she wasn’t about to break the girl code just because she had the hots for her friends’ ex.

Darcy leaned forward towards her drink, bringing her shoulders entirely out of Thor’s reach. She was just about to excuse herself from the table when the speeches ended and a soft smattering of applause broke out around the room.

“Lady Darcy, would you do me the honor of this dance?” Thor asked as he stood from his chair and offered her his hand.

“Sure,” she stammered out as she caught the look between Clint and Tony. Something was going on and she wasn’t sure what it was, but she wasn’t happy about being left in the dark. “When I get back, we’re talking,” she said sternly as she looked between the two of them before turning and accepting Thor’s offered hand.

They reached the edge of the dance floor and Thor quickly wrapped one arm around Darcy’s waist, pulling her to him. His other hand grasped hers, comically big compared to her small hand. As close as Thor had been getting to her in the previous weeks, Darcy had been steadfastly ignoring it. She knew on some level that if she thought about it too much she’d find herself crushing on the man in front of her hard.

Thor kept a respectable distance between their bodies but his large hand was warm against her back, sending delicious shivers down her spine. She knew without a doubt that if she looked up he’d be gazing at her with a smile on his face so she kept her eyes focused on the small traditional Norse hammer pinned to his lapel and spoke of the first thing that came to mind. Unfortunately, that was, “So when was the last time you talked to Jane?”

She was so embarrassed by her question that Darcy broke her own concentration and looked into Thor’s eyes. She regretted it instantly, their soft blue gaze threatening to send her head first into having feelings for Thor. “Let’s not talk of her tonight,” he said quietly. “I’d rather focus on the beauty I have in front of me than the one I shall never see again.”

Darcy blushed but was saved from response by Steve who was tapping on Thor’s shoulder. “Song’s over, buddy, and I think you’ll find I’m next on Miss. Lewis’ dance card,” he smiled at her. She always saved at least one dance for Steve whenever they were forced to attend functions like these. Thor stepped aside gracefully and before Darcy knew it she was in Steve’s arms, dancing across the floor in time to the music while impressing everyone around them with their skills.

“It’s a good thing we practiced the foxtrot this week,” Steve grinned as he maneuvered Darcy around the floor.

“Hey,” she smiled at him, “I’m not complaining. I was thinking maybe next week you could teach me the lindy hop though? It’s from your time, it should be old hat for a guy like you.”

Steve sighed comically, “Bucky was always better at the dancing back then, Darcy. You know that.” 

“Yes, but I also know that there will be a jazz band playing swing music at the gala later this summer.” The city was throwing a week-long celebration to honor the Avengers and the lives they had saved in the past year. It was set to begin with a gala, not unlike the one they were currently at, and finish the next weekend with a charity run.

Steve quirked an eyebrow, “Ah, an ulterior motive I see.”

“Can you blame me for wanting to stun all those uppity muckety mucks with my amazing dancing skills?” she asked just as Steve began to lead her in the steps for one of the fancy shoulder glides they’d been practicing. 

“Guess not,” he smiled. 

“So you’ll teach me?” Darcy asked eagerly.

“Fine,” Steve sighed, “But you should know we’ll really be teaching each other with this one, Darcy.”

“Doesn’t matter, we’ll still be better than anyone else,” Darcy quipped.

The song was coming to an end so Steve released Darcy from his hands and made a small bow in her direction. “Thank you for the dance,” he smiled before being pulled off in another direction by some senator or bigwig who simply needed Captain America for some reason.

When she made it back to their table her drink had been refreshed but Tony and Clint were nowhere to be seen. Natasha sat with her back straight sipping a glass of wine and beckoned Darcy to sit next to her.

“Is there a reason you aren’t dating Thor?” Natasha asked, bluntly.

Darcy sputtered and was thankful she hadn’t been taking a sip of her drink. “Uh, I don’t date?” was the first thing that came to mind. It was the simplest version of the truth, after all.

“Why not?” Natasha asked, her head tilted to one side. “You certainly could if you wanted to.”

Sighing, Darcy took a deep sip of the bourbon from her glass and mentally readied herself to talk about her feelings with someone who would instantly know when she was lying. “It’d be more accurate to say that I don’t date, I relationship.” Darcy paused, hoping Natasha would let the conversation drop. When she was met with silence she decided she had best continue on. “I’ve been on a few dates in the past year or so, but they never went anywhere.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, like I said I don’t really date. We’d meet up, go for dinner or drinks, and then suddenly they’d expect me to put out. Sometimes if I was lucky they’d wait until the third or fourth date before getting pissed that I wouldn’t just hop into bed with them. I gave up after the guy who dumped his beer in my lap and then got mad when it didn’t mean I would make an exception and strip for him,” Darcy grimaced, remembering the asshole.

Natasha sat quietly for a moment before responding, “But you ‘relationship’, as you say?”

“Yeah, I mean, the guys I’ve been with have never really the dating type, I guess. We’d meet at some party or something and then spend the next week hanging out with each other for every free moment. Eventually, we’d have a conversation about it and decide we were officially together.” Darcy continued, unable to stop talking now that she had started, “Sure, we’d eat meals together and all but there were never any flowers or the other typical dating stuff. I used to think I wouldn’t know how to go on a date if I tried, but I can honestly say I’ve had practice and it’s just not for me.”

“I think you’ve just been dating the wrong men,” Natasha offered. “Even the guys you were in relationships with.”

“Hey, just because Ben turned out to be a horrific asshole doesn’t mean the rest of the guys I was with were awful,” Darcy said, perfectly willing to accept that her last boyfriend had been awful but still unsure why she felt the need to defend her ex-boyfriends, none of whom she looked back on too fondly.

Natasha let a small, kind smile out, just a little bit of softness before the dagger. “It doesn’t sound like any of them knew how to treat a woman, particularly one as spirited as yourself.” Darcy blinked, unable to think of an immediate response. “If you were to date Thor it would be nothing like being with the men you have tried dating in the past, that’s for sure.”

“Why the sudden interest in getting Thor and me together?” Darcy couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s clear as glass that you like him,” Darcy opened her mouth to protest but Natasha continued on. “Thor can’t hide his emotions to save his life, so you’d have to be blind not to see how much he cares for you.”

“Yeah, as a sister,” Darcy scoffed. Natasha raised her eyebrow and pursed her lips. “Natasha, he literally calls me his lightening sister.”

“When was the last time he called you that?”

Darcy had to admit the spy had her there. She couldn’t remember the last time he’d used any fond nickname for her, let alone referred to her as his sister. Now that she was faced with it she realized how much she had missed the casual intimacy of the names. “I don’t remember,” Darcy was forced to admit. “But that doesn’t mean he likes me, Natasha. I was one of the first people he ever met on Earth, of course, he cares for me on some level. That doesn’t mean he is into me.”

“Who do you think Clint was talking about earlier, Darcy? Or the look between Clint and Tony that I know you caught?”

It was a fair question, though Darcy still wasn’t convinced. “Just because I’m his type doesn’t mean he wants to date me. You’re probably just seeing lust if anything. They have crazy sex parties on Asgard, I’m sure he’s just missing getting some on the regular now that he’s living here and single.”

“For as smart as you are, it amazes me what you refuse to see,” Natasha said as Steve returned to the table alongside Clint. The conversation turned to the best movies from the 1980s and before Darcy knew it the evening was drawing to a close.

“Pay up, money bags,” Clint smiled as he made gimme hands towards Darcy. Thor had already left in a car with Steve and Bucky headed for the tower.

“I hate this,” Darcy deadpanned as she handed over her money to Clint.

“Cheer up, Short Stack,” Tony grinned as he took the other wad of bills from Darcy’s hands, “Birdbrains here let Thor’s type slip tonight so you have better luck next time.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Darcy said as she got into the car with the rest of the team. When she got back to her rooms in the tower she was surprised to see a small blinking light on the corner of the screen on her wall. “Friday? What’s this?”

“You have a video message from Thor. Shall I play it for you?”

“Yes, please, but can you play it in the bedroom? I have got to get out of these heels.” Darcy made her way to her bedroom and sat down on the bed. Friday got the video message playing just as she began to take off her shoes.

“Lady Darcy,” Thor said from what appeared to be his own quarters. “I was remiss not to say goodnight to you this evening, and for that, I apologize. You looked wonderful tonight, as you always do. I hope that you found our dance to be satisfactory. Sleep well, may your dreams be filled with as much beauty as you bring to those around you.” He smiled a wide smile and then the screen went blank, the video over.

Darcy was completely still on her bedside, one shoe dangling off of her foot as she stared forward. The small part of her that she’d been hiding from for weeks now- the part that recognized exactly what Natasha had been talking about earlier- was growing just a bit bigger, and it terrified her. She knew she needed to talk to Jane about this as soon as possible, she was just worried about what her friend would say in response.

“Skype date, 11 AM my time?” Darcy texted Jane before getting up and getting ready for bed. When she crawled under the covers a few minutes later, Jane had let her know she’d talk to her tomorrow. She fell asleep before she had a chance to formulate a plan for their conversation.

* * *

“Jane, I have a bit of a problem,” Darcy said as she watched her friend come into focus in the Skype window. She was still in her pajamas, the Sunday after a big event was always sacred pajama time to her.

“What do you mean, a problem?”

“Maybe ‘problem’ is the wrong word?” Darcy amended. “Situation. Situation sounds better.”

“Okay, Darcy,” Jane deadpanned, “You still aren’t giving me anything to go on here.”

Thor and Jane had broken up over a year ago now, and Jane knew how close Darcy worked with him as the head PR person for The Avengers. This shouldn’t be such a big deal, but still, Darcy was struggling to voice her thoughts. “Um...Well. Thor is kind of coming onto me?” She relayed the story of their dance the night before and a few other examples from the past month.

Darcy had run through this conversation in her mind at least one hundred times in the past few hours and in none of those times did Jane react the way she did in reality. “Woo hoo! Get it, Darcy!” Jane smiled.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Darcy asked, not quite willing to let herself believe that her friend was okay with this. She’d been harboring fantasies about the thunder god for weeks already and it was getting a little uncomfortable to work with him.

“No, why would I care?”

“Well, I mean. You were in love with him at one point, don’t know if you recall?” Darcy replied, one corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile.

“Water under the bridge, Darcy. Anyway, when was the last time you went on a date anyway? Have you been on one since you broke up with Ben?” Jane’s eyebrow was raised as she spoke.

“He still texts me, you know?” she mentioned with a grimace. “I never respond, but he messages me at least once a month without fail.”

Jane was annoyed, Darcy could tell. “He’s been sending me messages too, but don’t change the subject, Darcy.”

Darcy sighed, “Janey you know I have been on multiple dates, I’ve called you after all of them.”

“Yeah, but you were never really interested in any of those guys were you?” Jane questioned her, “They were practice dates and you know it.”

“Okay?” Darcy begrudgingly admitted, “So they were totally practice dates. Anyway, you’re assuming Thor wants to date me. That’s not come up at all, so I don’t think this is something we need to talk about.”

“You’re wrong there.”

Darcy cocked her head to the side, “I am? Cause I was pretty sure that he just wanted to jump in the sack.”

Jane smiled, “If Thor just wanted you in his bed you would have been there by now.”

“But-”

“Darcy, we were together for how long? I think you should trust me on this. How long has he been flirting with you?”

“A month,” Darcy spoke softly.

“Yep, Big Blondie has heart eyes for you, Darcy. Go get it.”

Darcy sighed, “Well now I’m not so sure I want to.”

There was a beat of silence as Jane let what Darcy said sink in. “Are you really telling me you don’t want to date an actual god from another planet? Are you sick? Do I need to hack into Friday to get your temperature?”

“Jane, let’s go back to the point. I don’t date, I relationship.”

“I’m still not seeing a problem here?”

Darcy did not want to hash out all of her issues for not wanting to be in a relationship with her best friend via Skype session. A conversation like this deserved tequila and starlight, but Darcy knew she wouldn’t get that chance with Jane anytime soon. “Jane, everything with Ben was so...perfect. He asked my dad for permission to marry me, you know?” Jane nodded but stayed silent. “I never knew anything was wrong and it turned out that entire relationship was a lie. I can’t go through that again, Janey. It would break me.”

“Ben was an asshole, Darcy.”

“You’ve said that befo-”

“No,” Jane cut off Darcy before she could begin making excuses. “He was straight up an asshole. Erik couldn’t stand him and I only tolerated him because I knew how much he meant to you. He was an ass, and you may not have been able to pick up on that because you were too taken with him, but I can assure you we would have been having a very serious conversation had he ever gotten around to actually proposing.”

Darcy stayed silent, she was still recovering from the revelation that her friends had been hiding just how much they had not liked the man she had been living with two years previously.

“Things in that relationship were not perfect, Darcy. If they had been perfect he wouldn’t have been cheating on you the entire time, and you know it,” Jane’s words were harsh but her tone was soft and caring. “You deserve to find love, Darcy. And if there’s anyone in this universe who can help you build your trust again, I think we both know Thor is the best candidate.”

“Don’t let Steve catch you saying that,” Darcy quipped.

“Darcy,” Jane said with a serious look in her eyes.

“I know, I know. I just…” Darcy trailed off, not sure where she was going.

“You’re scared,” Jane supplied. “That’s okay. You’re allowed to be scared, but what you aren’t allowed to be is a coward.”

Darcy sighed, “I hate it when you’re right about my life, Janey.” There was a long pause in the conversation while Jane waited Darcy out. “Fine, if Thor asks me on a date I will go out with him.”

“Good,” Jane smiled.

“Oh my god, this is so weird. You literally just talked me into dating your ex-boyfriend.”

Jane ignored her, instead bringing up the telescopes she was using in the Southern hemisphere.

Darcy was happy to change the subject away from feelings and her lack of a sex life, especially now that even Jane had said Thor wanted to date her with only anecdotal evidence. The excitement she felt fluttering in her stomach could wait until later to be analyzed, right now she had a best friend to focus on.

* * *

The Monday after the gala Darcy sat at her desk waiting for the article approval requests to come in as she sipped at her coffee. This was her routine every Monday after a large event and she’d come to enjoy it. She had never been interested in gossip rags before this job, but now that she saw first hand the truth behind what they published, she couldn’t get enough of reading the twisted ways they manipulated the truth.

Her inbox dinged with a message from one of the reporters she’d gotten to know in the past year in her job. She clicked on the message and skimmed through the email that was letting her know a full article would be in later, but the woman wanted Darcy to have a copy of the photo Tony had requested and to let her know it would not be going in print.

Darcy clicked on the attached image and took a long sip of coffee as it loaded. There in front of her was the team of superheroes she called friends. Clint had his arm draped loosely across Natasha’s waist, the tops of Steve’s ears were turning pink and if the look on Bucky’s face was anything to go by it was because of something whispered between the secret lovers (no one thought America was ready to handle their golden boy being gay). Tony stood with Pepper nestled against him on one side and Darcy standing casually on the other. Darcy wasn’t surprised by any of this until she saw Thor standing between Clint and Steve, head turned directly her way with a look of longing in his eyes.

The feelings bubble she’d been trying desperately to ignore all weekend was threatening to burst. After her conversations with Natasha and Jane, the look on Thor’s face was hard to deny - he wanted Darcy, that was for sure. Now Darcy had to decide what she wanted to do about it.


	2. No Quest, No Treasure

Before Darcy had time to think about her conundrum with Thor she had a training session with Steve to attend. During the very first formal event, Darcy had been forced to attend with the Avengers, Steve had asked her to dance and been pleasantly surprised when she had been able to sway skillfully across the floor. At the end of the song, Steve had asked her if she’d be able to teach him some of the newer dances she knew and they’d agreed for a trade-off - dance lessons in exchange for personal fitness training.

Since they had started their lessons Steve and Darcy had learned to tango, the foxtrot, and to salsa dance. Darcy had cut her average mile pace by a full minute and Steve continually impressed upon her how proud he was of her lifting gains. Today Steve was supposed to be helping her with her running form so she was less likely to injure herself.

“Hey there,” she called out to Steve who stood to wait for her at the beginning of the track.

“Hey yourself, Darcy,” he waved to her, “Ready to warm up?”

Darcy walked across the room and plopped herself down on the ground, leaning into a stretch. “Let’s do this, Rogers,” she smiled.

A few minutes later they were jogging along, Steve calling out suggestions to her as she went. “Watch your elbows, keep them bent and tucked in!” Darcy made the correction and continued on until she heard the next call out, “Elbows! And keep your hands relaxed, don’t punch them forward.” She tried to focus in on the tips he was giving her but kept finding her mind wandering back to her conundrum with Thor and what she should do about it.

“Hands and elbows! Shorten your stride, Darcy,” he called out again before stopping dead in his tracks. She kept moving forward for a moment or two before realizing he wasn’t next to her.

“Steve?” she called out to him as continued her even pace around the track.

“Keep going,” was all he said. She kept up her pace around the track, mind lost in thought. When she approached where he was standing he held up a hand to stop her. “What’s on your mind, Darcy?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she fibbed. “Aren’t we supposed to be training?”

Steve sighed, “We are, but every time I give you a suggestion you do it for about two strides and then go right back to what you had been doing previously. You’re not focused today and unless you can get your head in the right place we won’t accomplish anything.”

Darcy hated to admit it, but Steve was right.

“So, let me ask you again,” Steve said evenly, “What’s on your mind?”

Darcy stared off into the middle distance as she contemplated what she wanted to tell Steve. It wasn’t that she couldn’t trust him, but she wasn’t sure Steve was the right person to be having this conversation with. They were close friends, but he was also good friends with Thor, not to mention the teams’ captain. “It’s about Thor,” she finally settled on, hoping his response would give her some idea of his comfort level.

“Has he asked you out yet?” Steve asked her earnestly.

“Jesus Christ, why is everyone asking me that lately?!” Darcy nearly yelled out in frustration. “No, he has not asked me out. No, I don’t think he is going to ask me out. Yes, I would say yes if he did. Oh, my gods did I really just tell you that?” Darcy asked herself embarrassed. “One day I will learn to actually filter what I’m rambling about.”

“Why are you bothered that you told me you’d go out with him?” Steve asked her kindly as he walked towards a bench against the back wall and beckoned for her to follow.

“You’re the team captain, it seems weird to talk to you about my feelings for one of your team members,” Darcy offered.

“Why is that? Thor talks to me about you.”

Darcy dropped onto the seat next to him with her mouth opened, “You’ve got to be kidding me. Am I the subject of actual locker room talk?”

Steve blushed, “Maybe a little. But don’t change the subject, what is it about Thor that’s bothering you?”

Darcy chewed on her bottom lip as she considered the right way to talk to Steve about her concerns. “I guess it’s just that a few people now have suggested that we date and I’m not really sure what to make of that. I mean, sure I’m attracted to him and I think he’s a great guy but I hardly think he’s interested in me like that.” Steve made a face but Darcy kept on talking, “I talked to Jane some about it, and she thinks I should go for it. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten any -” Darcy quickly covered her face in her hands, “Shit, I can’t believe I just told you that.”

“Don’t worry about it, you think you’re the first girl to talk to me about sex and how much she’s not getting?” When Darcy raised an eyebrow he went on, “Chorus girls all have mouths on them, Darcy. It’s been a while. . .” Steve led her to continue.

“Okay, fine, but please ignore how red my cheeks are going to get while we talk about this. You’re still pretty firmly in the apple pie and virginity column in my head, it’ll take a while to get that rearranged.” Steve gestured for her to continue anyway.

“Yeah, so I guess it’s been about two years since I’ve slept with anyone, not that I haven’t had offers-”

“Why didn’t you take those offers?” Steve asked, face the definition of harmless curiosity.

Darcy sighed, “I guess I just didn’t know them very well? I was never very comfortable with having casual sex with strangers, and it’s hard to say you really know someone when you’ve only spent a few hours in a darkened bar together.”

“So Jane thinks you should try and sleep with Thor?”

“Jane thinks I should try for more than that with Thor, Natasha too if you’re keeping score. I’m positive Thor only wants casual sex, which I’ve not really been comfortable with in the past.”

“Well,” Steve said thoughtfully, “Let’s say you were to just have a casual-sex relationship with Thor. Are you worried he’d respect you less?”

Darcy laughed, “No, Asgard has crazy amounts of casual sex, I don’t think he would judge me for it.”

“Okay, so are you worried that he’d tell other people? That other people would think you were a floozy?”

Darcy’s lip quirked up at his antiquated term but she knew better than to mention it lest he scolded her for subject changing again. “No, I don’t think he’s really the kiss and tell type.”

“What about other people? If they found out?”

Darcy sighed, “My gut instinct is to say fuck those people but I know on some level I do care.”

“Well, your gut is right on that one. It shouldn’t matter what other people think. Regardless, I don’t think you’d have anything to worry about. You both live in the tower, the only people who are likely to know are fellow Avengers and I can tell you with certainty that anyone on the team who had something negative to say about you would have to deal with me, and I don’t think they want to do that. Besides, do you really think any of them have room to talk?”

Darcy smiled at the thought, “No, I guess they don’t. It’s good to know you’ve got my back anyway, though.”

“Anytime,” he said returning the smile. “What else are you worried about? That he’ll hurt you?”

“If we were having casual sex? Gods, no,” Darcy said, “I can hardly imagine him doing anything to hurt me intentionally.”

“But if it was more than just sex?” Steve asked her, prying just a little more.

Darcy grimaced, “Do we have to talk about that right now?”

Steve shook his head, “Nothing you aren’t comfortable with, no. “ He paused a beat, “So to recap, you aren’t concerned he’d disrespect you in the morning,” he said holding one finger up. “You don’t think he’d tell others you were sleeping with him and if I caught anyone saying something negative I would take care of that,” he said as he held up a second finger. “And you don’t think he’d hurt you intentionally,” he finished, three fingers in the air. “By my count, that’s three reasons you should get all the pleasure you can get,” Steve smiled.

“I cannot believe Captain America just told me to get laid. Are you going to give me Avengers themed condoms too?”

“No, they make those?” Steve asked curiously. 

Darcy grinned, “I think they even have some with your shield on them.”

Steve shuddered before continuing, “What else are you worried about?” he probed her gently.

“I don’t know, it’s just not something I’ve ever done before. I’ve always been pretty firmly in a relationship before crossing that bridge, it just seems weird to do it with a stranger.”

“Yeah,” Steve agreed, “But Thor isn’t a stranger, is he?”

“Hardly, I’ve known him for years. He’s one of my good friends,” Darcy smiled.

“So what’s the holdup?” Steve asked her.

“I don’t know, Steve,” Darcy sighed.

“Look, Darcy,” Steve told her earnestly, “I don’t know what Thor wants from you, I just know that he finds ways to bring you up a little more often than he would if he just had platonic feelings about you. Come on, let’s get back to running, maybe focusing on something else will help you sort it out.” As they walked back to the starting line Darcy considered Steve’s words to her. Ruling out the ridiculous idea that Thor wanted to date her, the worst thing that could happen here was she got laid once and not again. Thor wasn’t a stranger, and she didn’t think anything bad would come out of sleeping with him. “Remember,” Steve coached as they started a light jog, “Elbows in and hands relaxed.”

As Darcy jogged around the track she kept her main focus on her posture and form, listening in for Steve’s critiques and making minute adjustments at his suggestions. She was surprised when she finished running that she had a renewed sense of calm about her issues with Thor. Steve was right, there was no reason to believe Thor would do anything to harm her or her reputation, and she did know him. Darcy certainly couldn’t deny her attraction to him, both physically and mentally. By the time she had finished the post-workout shower she had decided to see where flirting with Thor led her - she deserved some fun in her life and Thor definitely seemed like the man to give it to her.

* * *

Darcy didn’t need to wait long before she ran into Thor again. Her job at Avengers Tower meant she was nearly always bound to run into one of the Avengers on a daily basis, and with the way the team had taken to bonding over meals recently she was more likely to run into them all at once then individually. She exited the elevator on the common room floor and immediately heard the ruckus that could only mean The Avengers were in residence and in the middle of a meal.

“Make way for your queen,” Darcy called out as she rounded the corner to the informal dining room. “She hasn’t eaten in five hours and you wouldn’t like her when she’s hangry.” There was a guffaw around the table, Bruce ducking his head in mild embarrassment before Thor scooted over to make room for her on the bench seat next to him. “Thanks, Big Guy,” Darcy smiled as she placed a hand on his shoulder to take her place next to him then reached forward to fill her waiting plate with food.

As soon as Darcy’s plate was filled and she’d settled back to eat she felt the familiar press of Thor’s leg against her own. Darcy wasn’t surprised, in fact, she had been expecting this.  Previously when it happened Darcy had carefully distanced herself from him, equal parts weary of breaking the girl code and unwilling to get to acquainted to the heat of his skin against hers less her feelings bubble get any crazy ideas.

This time, however, Darcy had a plan. She still wasn’t convinced Thor was interested in her for anything more than a roll in the hay, but she’d spoken with Jane and gotten the all clear from her friend, and gods knew Jane had been right about how long it had been since she’d been laid. Now that she had the permission out of the way she was free to flirt and anxious to do so. Darcy took a bite of her chicken before ever so gently pressed her leg back against Thor’s knee, knocking into his as she angled her body closer to his.

Darcy continued to focus on eating, ignoring the responding press into her space that Thor was making when one of his hands slipped beneath the table and landed on her knee and made slow, soft circles on her inner thigh. Darcy had to hold her breath to keep from letting out a soft moan. She’d forgotten how wonderful it felt to have someone else’s hands on her and if the warmth spreading towards her center was any tell, she was looking forward to more.

The meal passed by in much the same manner as most of their team dinners- loud, raucous affairs that ended almost as quickly as they began, usually with Steve calling out names of team members in charge of dish duty that night. The only difference, and not one that anyone else would have noticed, was the constant weight of Thor’s hand lingering somewhere on Darcy’s body. She was uncomfortably aware of how turned on she was at the moment - if Thor didn’t make a move she certainly was going to.

Once Natasha and Clint had grabbed the plates from in front of them, Thor turned to Darcy and spoke quietly, “Lady Darcy, I would have you come back to my quarters for this evening’s entertainment.” The All Speak had been adapting to more modern speech patterns in recent years, but some turns of phrase lingered longer than others.

Darcy’s face flushed as her eyes darted around the room to ensure that no one heard what Thor had just said and was thankful to see that most of the team had dissipated or were heavily involved in conversations about engineering. “Uh, care to elaborate on what you mean by that, Big Guy? I know we’ve had conversations about innuendo before.”

Thor looked down at Darcy, squeezed her knee and winked before he said, “My apologies, Lady Darcy. I only meant to ask if you wanted to show me the movie you had mentioned? The one about not crossing the streams?”

Darcy smiled as she thought back to the last major mission. They had been reviewing the footage of the battle when Darcy noticed that Thor was sending lightning bolts across the sky towards an alien while Tony, also headed that way, had his repulsors blasting. She’d cried out the infamous line moments before Tony stopped the repulsors beam of light from intersecting the lightning. 

“Ghostbusters, right,” Darcy smiled as she placed her hand on top of Thor’s on her thigh. “I think I can clear my schedule for that.”

“Most excellent. Let’s go now before the good Captain returns - I don’t believe he knew the reference either, but I would rather have you to myself tonight.” Thor quickly flipped the hand on Darcy’s legs so that he could twine his fingers with hers as he pulled her up from the bench seat.

Darcy followed Thor through the thankfully empty living room - she wasn’t sure where this thing between her and Thor was headed and she didn’t want any lingering eyes on their joined hands before she had a firmer grasp on it. When they reached the elevator bay Thor pulled Darcy to stand in front of him and let her hand drop. She did not have time to react to the lack of his touch before he pulled her back against his body, the hard press of his chest against her back. The hand that had grasped hers seconds before came to rest lightly on her hip as they waited for the elevator to arrive.

As soon as they were inside the elevator Thor resumed their previous position with Darcy firmly in his embrace. She could feel the heat of his body through the thin shirt she was wearing. Thor’s hands pressed in at her hips and Darcy did her best to ignore the uptick in her heart rate. When the elevator doors opened Thor pushed her forward gently with one hand ghosting at the waistband of her pants, fingers not quite dipping below the seam.

“Friday,” Thor called once they had entered his apartment. “Can you please prepare to play the movie Ghostbusters?

“Certainly, Master Thor. Will you be requiring any refreshments this evening?”

“Unless Tony has any Ecto Cooler stashed somewhere I think we’re okay, Friday,” Darcy called out, certain that if Thor started down the path of choosing a special Midgardian drink or snack they’d never get to the movie. He took her hand and led her through to the living room before dropping into the corner of the couch and pulling Darcy down nearly on top of him. He dropped her hand and draped his arm across her shoulder, his fingers coming to rest playfully at the hemline of her shirt sleeve. Darcy scooted down and made herself comfortable before calling out to Friday once more, “Okay, you can play the movie now!”

The lights dimmed and the movie started but Darcy was only half focused on the scenes playing out in front of her. The majority of her thoughts were consumed with the heat of Thor’s body so close to her, his fingers never coming to a stop as they moved gracefully over the skin of her arm. It had been so long since she’d been anywhere near this close to another person, let alone someone she was attracted to. The heat pooling in her groin was making it harder to concentrate on the movie than she would have liked.

The credits rolled and they hadn’t stopped watching the movie once. If not for Thor’s unrelenting fingers - at some point in the movie his other hand had come to rest on her lower thigh - Darcy would have wondered if she’d read the signals wrong.

“That movie was very funny,” Thor said as he leaned down to speak into the shell of Darcy’s ear, “I see why you suggested it.”

Thor’s breath against her sensitive skin sent shivers down Darcy’s spine. “Not that I’m complaining about watching a movie I recommended,” she said as she shuffled out of Thor’s embrace and turned towards him. “But this is not at all how I thought the evening would go,” Darcy continued as she straddled Thor’s lap and lowered her mouth to his.

Their first kiss was electric. Thor’s arms came up to wrap around Darcy, one hand bracing the back of her head as she leaned into the kiss, tongue dancing along the seam of his lips until his mouth opened for her. It wasn’t long before Darcy was grinding her hips against Thor’s groin, her soft moans quickly swallowed by Thor’s mouth. He drew a breath and then kissed her once more, somehow managing to claim her mouth further before withdrawing from her and settling Darcy neatly beside him on the couch.

“Let’s stop there,” Thor said, “I don’t want to get carried away before our first date, Darcy.”

Darcy stared at him silently and gathered her thoughts. “Excuse me?”

“Our first date. I was thinking maybe we would go to get Indian food together on Thursday evening?”

“Indian food?”

“Yes, I’m quite taken with this non-bread they have. Though, I would be happy to take you somewhere else if you’d prefer?” Thor offered with a smile.

“Naan,” Darcy corrected without thinking about it.

“Yes, that’s what I said. Non-bread.”

“No, it’s a really long a sound, naaaaaaan.”

“Darcy, do not distract me from my question. Would you like to accompany me to dinner this Thursday?”

Darcy took a moment to collect her thoughts before speaking. “I’m a little confused,” Darcy finally stammered out. “I thought Asgard was all wild sex parties and people with what we on Earth would call loose morals?” Darcy’s mind drifted back to the stories of Norse mythology she’d studied in college and all of the debaucheries the gods had gotten up to.

“You are not wrong, my lady,” Thor spoke softly as he took Darcy’s hand. “Asgard is well known for their festivities filled with depravity, however after my time with Jane I learned of Midgardian customs. I regret not giving her the traditional experiences to gush with her friends about and I do not intend to leave you lacking.”

Darcy could not help but laugh, “Big Guy, I hardly think Jane missed out on gushing to any friends about you. Believe me, I’m her only friend and I heard plenty.” Thor blushed, which surprised Darcy and made her giggle.

There was a moment of silence before Thor continued to speak. “Do you not wish to date me?” he asked earnestly.

Darcy paused to consider her next words carefully. “It’s not that,” she said, squeezing his hand in hers, “It’s just that I didn’t think that you wanted to date me. I thought you were only looking for casual sex, I guess.”

“Do not mistake me, Lady Darcy, I would like nothing more than to have you coming in my bed all night, screaming my name loudly enough that no one in this tower would doubt my prowess,” he paused here and let his words sink in before continuing. “But I care for you greatly and would see you happy as my partner in life as well as in bed, should you have me.”

The feelings for Thor that she’d been fighting to keep under control for weeks were bubbling up and for the first time since her conversation with Jane, Darcy didn’t fight them or let her fear of relationships stop her from doing what she wanted. She grinned wide, “I would love to go to get Indian with you on Thursday. Pick me up at 7?”

“Consider it our first date,” Thor said as he stood and offered her his hand to help her from the couch. He walked her to his door and then gave her a chaste kiss goodnight. “I’ll be looking forward to Thursday,” he smiled before he closed the door.

* * *

“Jane. Jane, Jane, Jane,” Darcy called out repeatedly to her friend who was falling asleep on her desk halfway across the world. “Janeeeeeeey,” she tried, wishing it were possible to throw things at someone via Skype. Maybe she’d talk to Tony about that soon. The brunette stirred from her place at the desk, “Yes, Jane. That’s it, wake up.”

Jane had answered Darcy’s call despite the time difference between them, though it was clear as soon as Darcy saw her friend that she was on the verge of sleep. Typically she’d just hang up and try again later when Jane might be more awake, but Darcy had too much on her mind and she needed her best friend to help talk her through it.

“Darcy?” Jane lifted her head and yawned, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m not there, silly. I’m on your computer monitor,” Jane turned in her chair to face the computer monitor and gave a small wave when she saw Darcy on the screen there. “I need to talk to you Jane,” she said, desperate to tell her friend about the conversation she had with Thor.

Jane stifled another yawn, “Okay but can I get some coffee first?” she asked, already getting up and moving towards where her last known cup of coffee was located.

“Don’t get distracted!” Darcy called out to her.

A moment or two passed before Jane returned on screen, a mug of coffee in her hand. “Okay, what’s up?” she said, making a face as she took a sip from the mug.

“Do I even want to know how old that is?” Darcy asked, “No, never mind. I definitely don’t want to know and I definitely do have other things to talk to you about. You were right, Thor wants to date me.”

Darcy knew that Jane suspected as such, but she still expected the scientist to be at least a little surprised by this news so she was dismayed when her friend just said, “Okay?” with a shrug.

“Like, I had thought about it and decided I was totally okay with having casual sex with him - I even talked to Steve about it for gods sakes! And then I tried and he shut me down.”

“Wait,” Jane said setting her mug down on the desk, “He what?”

“Thank you!!!” Darcy said glad her friend was starting to understand her frustration. “I started flirting back and he got kind of handsy so I figured it was on. We were watching Ghostbusters at his place and nothing happened.”

“He quit flirting with you, or?” Jane asked, leading Darcy to continue.

“No! He got more handsy as the movie went on. And then after it ended I tried to get something going and he stopped me and said that he wanted to ‘honor Midgardian traditions’” Darcy said with a roll of her eyes, “and wait to do anything until after we had been on our first date, which was to be on Thursday by the way.”

Jane laughed, “You have to admit, it is cute that he’s trying to fit in. He didn’t even bother with that when we got together.”

“I know, he told me he felt bad about that,” Darcy sighed.

“He shouldn’t.”

“That’s what I told him, but he was still all ‘I want nothing more than to have you screaming my name in bed, but I’d also like you happy as my partner in life’ or something.”

Jane sat up straighter in her chair, “Darcy. I’m going to need you to listen to me and actually believe me this time, okay?” Darcy nodded so Jane continued, “Thor has feelings for you. He wants to do more than just date you, he wants to be in a relationship with you.”

“But-” Darcy opened her mouth to argue.

“No buts, Darcy. He literally told you he wants you to be his partner in life, what did you think that meant?”

Darcy shrugged, “I kind of just figured he was saying what he thought all Midgardian women wanted to hear.”

Jane raised her eyebrow high on her forehead, “You and I both know that’s not something Thor would do.”

Darcy let out a long sigh, “Therein lies the problem, Janey. You’re right, logically I do know that Thor isn’t the type of guy to just say what he thinks I want to hear, but I can’t make myself believe that.”

“Fucking Ben,” Jane cursed, “That asshole did a number on you, Darcy. You’re never going to get over it unless you get into another relationship.”

“I know, but I haven’t wanted to be in another relationship since then.”

“But now?” Jane asked kindly.

“I don’t know…I mean, yeah I’m totally into Thor and he’s a great guy I just…I was convinced Ben said and did all the right things, Jane. I deluded myself into believing he was the perfect guy because I wanted him to be so bad and I just worry that I’ll do that again. I can’t let myself be fooled like that, I can’t get hurt that much again.”

“I think you should talk to Thor about it,” Jane said with an air of authority.

“What?!” Darcy nearly shrieked.

“Seriously. He’s the one who wants to be in a relationship with you, he’s going to need to know about your hang-ups and issues anyway. You may as well be upfront with him about it so he knows what he’s up against.”

“That sounds like perfect first date conversation material, Jane,” Darcy deadpanned.

“Oh please, it’s not like this is going to be your traditional first date. How many times have you gone to get food with Thor? Or shared a pitcher of margaritas with him when I wasn’t around?”

“You’re not wrong, but you know it’s going to be different this time,” Darcy countered.

Jane smiled, “Yeah, it will be. But I think you’ll be surprised just how much is the same.”

The two continued talking for a little longer until Jane took another sip from the wayward coffee mug and grimaced, “Darcy I have to go brew fresh coffee. I can’t keep pretending this is okay.” The doctor signed off quickly and left Darcy to her thoughts. Jane was right, she should tell Thor about her last relationship and why she hadn’t been with anyone since then. He deserved to know what he was getting himself into before he truly made that call. Darcy just hoped her baggage didn’t scare him off.


	3. Unlock the Door to Your Heart

Thursday night after dinner Darcy unlocked her door as Thor waited patiently behind her. As soon as the door cracked opened Darcy spotted the tall vase of sunflowers Thor bought for her that evening - “They are bright and sunny like yourself. Only after I bought them did I learn that they symbolize adoration and loyalty, two feelings which you inspire in me,” - and could not help but grin. “Hey,” she said turning to face him, “Would you like to come in for a drink?” She still hadn’t talked to Thor about Ben and why she was a little skittish of relationships and she was hoping that being on more familiar turf made her more comfortable for the conversation.

Darcy had backed into the entryway of her apartment and was glad when Thor followed her and shut the door. “I can only stay for a few minutes, Darcy. It would be improper for me to be here longer lest anyone think I am taking advantage of you.”

“Honey,” Darcy smiled, trying out the nickname for size, “I can tell you without a doubt that there is nothing you could do to me that would fall in the realm of taking advantage.” Darcy stepped into Thor’s arms and leaned up on her toes to kiss him.

Thor sighed, stepping away before she could reach him. “I would not have people thinking unkind thoughts of you. It is my understanding that we should wait until at least the third date before consummating our relationship.”

“Are you seriously choosing now to stick to the third date rule when you’ve been eyeing me all night?” Darcy was more than shocked to be on the other side of this third date rule issue. She didn’t like it.

“I am flattered that you are as enthusiastic about our future encounters as I am, but I do not wish to rush things as I have already explained to you.”

“Enthusiastic,” Darcy said as she rolled her eyes, “If that’s not the most chivalrous way to say horny that I’ve ever heard.”

“Darcy, your virtue-”

“Was ruined when I was seventeen,” Darcy spat out with more venom than she meant. “You aren’t doing anything but delaying the inevitable by trying to make us wait.” She walked to her couch, hoping Thor would follow as she nestled herself down in the corner.

When he sat down opposite her she took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing on, “Did anyone ever tell you why there’s such a thing as a third date rule?” This was not the conversation they were supposed to be having, but Darcy was a professional when it came to avoiding conversations she didn’t want to have so she just went with it.

“No, I must admit to knowing very little about the reasons behind many Midgardian customs.”

“There are a few reasons why the third date rule exists, but I think the biggest one is so that each party knows the other one isn’t just looking for a quick fuck.”

“I believe I made my intentions in that regard known prior to our first date.”

“You did,” Darcy agreed, “So that reason for waiting is out the window. Another reason for the rule is so that both people can get to know one another better so that you aren’t jumping into bed with a stranger.”

Thor considered her words, “Darcy we have known each other for some years now. I could hardly count you as a stranger, even my own father heard tales of your bravery with the lightning stick.”

Darcy laughed, “I’m glad you frame it as bravery, I mostly felt scared at the time.”

“You felled me easily and stood your ground. You should be proud of your actions.”

“Oh, trust me, I am,” Darcy smiled. “That taser changed my life in the best way possible, don’t get me wrong. I’m just saying I didn’t feel very brave at the time.”

“Darcy, you are the bravest woman I know,” Thor said earnestly.

Darcy held back an eye roll, “Dude, you work with Natasha on a regular basis. I hardly doubt I am the bravest girl you know.”

Thor took a moment to move closer to Darcy on the couch before responding, “True bravery, dear one, is taking action even when you are scared to do so. I do not believe Natasha Romanov has been scared one day in her life.” His hand cupped her cheek as he looked into her eyes, “That is why I say you are the bravest woman I know.”

“I don’t even know how to respond to that,” Darcy said. She knew that he was right, but it still seemed odd to consider herself to be brave. Bravery was for people like Captain America or the Black Widow or the gorgeous man sitting in front of her.

“Then remain silent. But you should believe it, Lady Darcy.”

Darcy gave up coming up with a response to him and closed the small distance between them to lean in for a kiss. Thor’s hand tangled up in the hair at the nape of her neck as they moved closer together. Darcy echoed her movements from earlier in the week when she straddled him, only this time Thor did not protest. As Thor’s tongue sought Darcy’s, she was busy grinding herself down on his groin. She could feel him growing harder beneath her and it was only serving to make her wetter than she already was. She’d stop any minute now and have a serious conversation with him, she kept telling herself as she pressed herself further into him.

Just as Darcy began to find the rhythm she needed rutting against Thor’s lap he grasped her hips and flipped them so Darcy was laid on her back with her head near the armrest of the couch. When her back hit the couch a moan left her mouth alongside all of the air in her lungs. Thor was awkwardly fitting himself between her thighs as Darcy wrapped her legs around his hips, eager to feel his hard length pressed up against her again.

Thor’s shins were pressed against the armrest of the couch as he held himself above Darcy, his forearms bearing his weight on either side of her. “Hey, Big Guy,” Darcy said breathlessly, “I think you may be more comfortable if we move to the bedroom.”

Darcy could feel Thor’s smile against her lips, “Ah, but this is still our first date,” Thor weakly protested as he pressed wet kisses down the length of her neck.

“I thought we’d covered that,” Darcy said as she ran her hands down Thor’s back to grab at the bottom of his shirt. “You want to be in a relationship with me, I want to be in a relationship with you,” Darcy paused, shocked to have heard those words come from her mouth when she still felt so uncertain about it if she thought too long. Thor’s hand dipped beneath the waist of her jeans bringing her back to the problem at hand. “We’ve known each other for years. I don’t have any virtue left for you to ruin. Did you have other reservations?” she asked softly as she tugged his shirt up his back.

“I have never had reservations about you, Darcy.” Thor leaned up to finish pulling off his shirt before tossing it to the floor. “You may have had a point about my comfort in your bed,” he commented as got up from his position between her legs. “Come,” he said as he offered her his hand.

“You know,” Darcy remarked as she allowed herself to be pulled up from her couch. “I’ve never thought of my couch as small until you started hanging out here.”

“It is a little couch, perfect for a little human such as yourself.”

“I hardly think of myself as little, Honey,” Darcy said as she crossed the room to stand in front him.

“Is that so?” Thor asked as he closed the distance between them and stood with his body pressed up against her. With so little space between them, Darcy had to crane her neck up to look into his face. “Surely you did not think of yourself as large?”

“No, not hardly. Just...average?” Darcy said into his abs. “Though I may be persuaded to see things your way,” she smiled before reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck and pull herself up to kiss him. Even on her tiptoes, she was not able to make the distance without Thor boosting her up with his hands on her waist.

“I think you may find that I can be quite persuasive, Little One,” Thor said just before he kissed her. Darcy felt a surge of heat rush through her at the new name he had called her and moaned into his kiss. “Though maybe I will not have to be so persuasive after all?”

“Less talking, more kissing,” Darcy said as she made her way from his mouth towards his ear. “Bedroom is the second door in the hallway,” she added as she helped Thor to wrap her legs around his waist.

“Are you always this bossy?” Thor asked as he walked them back against the nearest wall and pressed his hard length against Darcy’s center.

“Only when I haven’t been laid in over two years,” Darcy said as she tilted her hips further into Thor, desperate for more contact. She silently cursed for forgetting to filter herself, though she supposed her subconscious was going to force the why-I-haven’t-been-dating issue between them even if she’d wanted to avoid it.

Thor leaned his upper body away from her, “Is that true?”

Darcy sighed and wriggled her legs free of his grasp, carefully standing on her own. “Yeah. I haven’t really been with anyone since I broke up with my last boyfriend two years ago.”

“Why is that?” Thor asked, taking her hand and leading her back towards her couch, putting his shirt back on before sitting back into the corner.

“I hate this story,” Darcy sighed as Thor pulled her closer to him and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I was living with my last boyfriend, Ben, for about a year. We were together for about two years total. I thought things between us were perfect, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.” Darcy paused, collecting herself before telling Thor the worst part of the story. “I came home from classes one day and he was in the shower. His phone was unlocked, which was rare for him, and he got a message. I was just watching tv on the couch and I glanced at the screen and saw it was a picture. When I looked closer I realized it was a picture of some girls vagina.”

Thor rubbed her arm gently as Darcy took a few deep breaths to calm herself. “I knew Ben hated it when I touched his phone but I couldn’t help it, I had to make sure this was just someone sending a picture to the wrong person. Unfortunately, as I scrolled through the message history I realized I was wrong. There were conversations and pictures between them spanning at least a year, though I wouldn’t find out it had been that long until later. Ben got out of the shower and saw me with his phone and he freaked out. Started yelling at me and calling me a whore. It’s funny now, knowing that he was the one sharing his body with multiple women, that whore was the first insult he could come up with. At the time I couldn’t stop crying. I just showed him the message thread I had seen and asked him to pack his things from my apartment.”

Darcy couldn’t believe that just ten minutes previously she had been close to having sex with Thor and now instead of getting laid she was bearing her heart to him. “I’m sorry that happened to you, Little One,” Thor said, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “You did not deserve such treatment from someone who proclaimed to care for you. Tell me, did he leave you willingly?”

Darcy shook her head, “No, I wish. I left that night and went to my old roommate’s place, told him he had 24 hours to get his things. I came back the next day and he was still there trying to convince me to let him stay, that he had made a mistake. I asked him how long it had been going on and he told me it had just been the one time. I knew it was a lie so I told him to get out or I’d call the cops and force him to get out. Later on, the other girl contacted me and told me she’d never known about me and they’d been in a long distance relationship for a year. A year, Thor,” Darcy shuddered against him. “I was so blindly infatuated with him that I didn’t even see the obvious signs when they were right in front of me.”

“Love will blind you if you let it,” Thor agreed. “Did you not date others between now and then?” he asked gently.

Darcy adjusted herself so she could look at him a bit easier, “I went on a few dates, but nothing really panned out. I, uh, never really dated before that. I always sort of just fell into relationships based on gut feelings. There was always this rush of excitement and energy that pushed us through the first month or so and by then we were smitten.

“I tried dating a few guys, some from dating apps, others from just meeting them in the tower.” Darcy paused knowing the next part would expose her to potential ridicule. “I never felt really connected with them and they all wanted to sleep with me after a date or two.”

Thor laughed, “My how the tables have turned, Little One.”

“Right?” Darcy let out a nervous laugh. “I just feel comfortable with you, not like I did with anyone else I’ve dated since Ben. That and it really has been a long time. Jane may have hyped you up a little back when you first got together,” Darcy smiled.

“I am glad you told me of your past, Darcy,” Thor said. “I, too, am eager to be with you; however, now I feel it is more important than ever to honor the Midgardian customs of three dates knowing that you have been sticking to it yourself.”

“Fine,” Darcy sighed heavily, though she was smiling up at him.

“Be patient, Little One,” Thor whispered into her ear, “I will make it worth the wait.” With that, he stood from her couch and offered her a hand up. “I should be going, I have already stayed longer than is appropriate.”

Darcy walked with him towards her front door, “Thank you for a great evening,” she smiled. She had been nervous about talking to Thor about her past but he had been a great listener and she already felt more at ease with the future of their relationship.

“Can I take you to lunch tomorrow?” he asked as he opened her door.

“Sure,” Darcy smiled, “Come by my desk at 12:30 and I’ll be ready.”

“It’s a date,” Thor winked at her before turning and walking away. Darcy giggled to herself as she shut the door, once again letting her feelings for Thor overtake her completely. She smiled to herself the rest of the night and slept deeply.

* * *

At 12:28 the next afternoon Darcy was trying desperately to look like she was deeply engrossed in a project for work and not anxiously waiting for Thor’s large form to come around the corner to pick her up for their second date. She was pretty sure she was doing a good job until Clint tapped her on the shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

“What’s got you so anxious, Darce?”

“I thought I asked you not to call me that,” she deadpanned, hoping Clint hadn’t noticed the small flinch she’d made when he’d shortened her name.

“Fine, Darcy , what’s got you so anxious?” Clint asked again, this time leaning up against her desk.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Barton,” Darcy replied while she focused all of her attention on stopping her legs from their insistent jiggle.

“Uh huh,” came the beginnings of what was undoubtedly a snarky reply. Before Clint could say more Thor approached Darcy’s desk and her face lit up at the sight of him. “Oh, I see,” was all Clint said before he disappeared into an office.

“Hello, Darcy,” Thor greeted her with a smile and an outstretched hand. “Would you care to join me for a picnic?”

Darcy took his hand and walked around her desk, leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Thor’s cheek. “A picnic sounds perfect,” she smiled.

Thor tucked her hand around his upper arm and drew her closer to him as they walked towards the elevator bay. Once they were ensconced in the car Thor pressed the button for one of the upper floors. “I thought we were going on a picnic?” Darcy asked.

“We are, but walking to Central Park would take up too much of your valuable time so I have arranged to picnic on the greenhouse terrace.” The elevator doors parted on a floor Darcy had only heard of before. Tony Stark was hell-bent on making Stark Industries as green as possible and that, apparently, included the tower growing its own vegetables and herbs for the chefs there to use. Typically only the gardeners and the cooking staff were permitted here.

In front of them stood rows of potted vegetables, around them, were glass walls specifically designed to let the right amount of light in. Thor led Darcy towards the back wall where she saw a door leading outside. There was a balcony there surrounded by flowers and in the center was a small folding table and a set of chairs. Plates of food were covered and waiting for them.

“Honey, this is…” Darcy’s voice trailed off as she walked around the perimeter of the balcony. Her fingers trailed over the soft petals of a flower before she turned around to face him again. “I didn’t know about the flowers.”

“I must admit I did not know of them myself,” Thor said as he pulled out a chair for Darcy to sit in. “I mentioned to Tony that I was to be taking you to lunch today and he suggested it. Apparently, Miss Potts likes to have fresh flowers readily available for meeting rooms.”

“You know,” Darcy said as she took her seat, “I had noticed the abundance of fresh flowers on Pepper’s office floor, I guess it makes sense that they would come from the tower too.”

Darcy was dismayed at how quickly her lunch hour seemed to pass by in Thor’s company. She was used to scarfing down some food while in front of her computer before continuing on to another meeting or another training session; spending time with a friend, paying attention to what she was eating, these things were entirely different and enjoyable to her.

“I hate that we have to leave here,” Darcy said as she scooted her chair back from the table. “I didn’t get to tell you about my morning - there was a teacup poodle in the cafe.”

“A teacup poodle?” Thor asked as he took her arm once more and walked her back towards the elevators. “Is this a dog or a drinking vessel?”

“Big Guy, we have about 30 seconds before the elevator gets to my office floor, I don’t have nearly enough time to unpack ‘teacup poodle’ and tell you my story. You’re just going to have to wait,” Darcy said with a wink and a smile.

“More’s the pity, I am a terribly impatient person.”

“Well then you’re just going to have to take me out again tonight,” Darcy grinned knowing that she had played Thor right into where she wanted him.

“Indeed, I suppose I will.” The elevator doors parted and Thor began to walk slowly towards Darcy’s desk.

“Third date,” Darcy grinned up at him as she walked around the desk to take her seat. “See you at 7?”

“Yes, I shall see you this evening, Lady Darcy,” Thor said before he bent to kiss her cheek. “Until then.”

Darcy tried very hard not to stare at his ass as he walked away. She was not very successful.

* * *

Later when Darcy got back from her afternoon coffee break there was a tall, narrow shot glass with one of the flowers she had been admiring on lunch sitting in it. She recognized the glass immediately as having come from Tony’s penthouse bar and smiled to herself as she imagined Thor absconding with it to leave her this flower.

“Blue Dahlia,” Natasha said, sneaking up from behind Darcy. “It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Darcy smiled, “I was admiring it on lunch with Thor. I just got back to my desk and found it here, he must have brought it as a surprise.”

Natasha smiled at Darcy, “It symbolizes commitment, you know. And the blue color specifically represents new beginnings.”

Darcy flushed, “I didn’t know that, no. I just thought it was pretty. I doubt Thor knows what it means either.

“I wouldn’t be so certain,” the spy said with a smirk before disappearing around the corner.

* * *

“Tell me,” Thor said as soon as Darcy opened her door to him that evening, “This teacup poodle you mentioned. It must be a dog? But one the size of a teacup? Can animals truly survive at that size?”

“Oh, Honey,” Darcy smiled, “Do all earthlings look like ants to you?”

“You are all rather small, yes,” Thor said as he took her hand and led her down the hallway. “But you still have not answered me, Darcy.”

“Yes,” Darcy said as they boarded the elevator. “A teacup poodle is a small dog. They aren’t actually the size of a teacup, though I suspect they could fit in a decent sized cappuccino mug without a problem.” As the elevator began the decent downwards Darcy pulled up a picture on her phone and passed it to Thor, “See? Tiny dog.”

“You are correct, that is a very small dog,” Thor handed the phone back to Darcy as they made their way out of the building.

“Yeah, so, anyway I was at the coffee place down on 3rd getting a scone and catching up on my trashy magazines when this tiny dog just comes waltzing in the cafe.” They were walking arm and arm down the New York streets and Darcy idly wondered where they were headed but was too focused on her story of the morning to bother asking. “So, obviously I had to go say hello. I couldn’t resist, the dog’s entire body is the size of my hand!”

“Yes, I do recall your reaction to Clint’s Lucky.”

“Don’t even get me started on Lucky,” Darcy said as she thought back to the time Clint had brought his mutt to the tower. Darcy had spent the entire day playing tug of war with the dog and missed out on all of the meetings she was supposed to attend. The Powers That Be were not very happy with her and the tower became a No Pets Zone the next week.

“Anyway, I leaned down to let this little guy sniff my hand and he grabbed my People out of my hands and ran off!”

Thor turned to look at her as he held the door to a pizza parlor opened, “Your...people? I did not know there were people small enough to fit in your hand, maybe one day you can introduce me to them?”

Darcy smiled as she took a seat in an empty booth. “There are not, generally. Scott Lang is an exception to the rule, but he’s the only one we’ve found. People is the name of a tabloid magazine. You know the kind Tony’s always got his face plastered all over?” When Thor nodded Darcy continued, “I’m kind of secretly obsessed with them. I was never interested in them before I took on this job, but now that I see what gets written about you all, I can’t stop reading the articles about the other celebrities too. I can’t tell anyone at the tower without risking Pepper’s wrath, she hates the things and the gossip they spread.”

“I see,” Thor replied thoughtfully. “So you were at this cafe to read your People? I take it this is to keep your devious pastimes out of the public eye?”

“Got it in one, Big Guy,” Darcy grinned. “No place better to keep a secret than in public, I say.”

“Pray tell, were you able to get your People back from this mongrel?”

Their waiter approached the table so Darcy paused the conversation so they could place an order. Once he was gone the thread picked up just where it was left, “I wish! I was so startled at the sight of a dog carrying a magazine that was twice the size of its body that it got out the door before I could catch up.”

“That’s most unfortunate,” Thor had the decency to look legitimately upset at Darcy’s loss.

“I really just wish I could have gotten a video of it. Now that I’m caught up on the gossip I missed, I just want to see the dog carrying that magazine again.”

After the empty pizza pan had been cleared from the table and Thor paid the check Darcy took his hand and pulled him from the booth. “Come on, this is our third date and I’m ready to get back to the tower,” she said with a wink.

“I’m not certain that this classifies as a third date. I was thinking this was more of a continuation of our second,” Thor stated as they began their walk back to the tower.

“Hardly. You kissed me goodbye and we arranged to meet again. That officially ended our second date, mister.” The corner of Darcy’s mouth ticked up in a grin as she readied further arguments for her cause.

Thor released her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “Ah, yes, but,” he said as his thumb brushed the soft skin just under her shirt, “We merely paused our conversation from lunch and picked it up immediately this evening. It was as though our earlier date never stopped and therefore this is still our second date.” As he talked his thumb was making soft circles against the skin of her hip, his fingers were tucking into the pocket of her jeans.

Darcy was having trouble concentrating on what her arguments were with his hand where it was. “Be that as it may,” she managed to get out, “I’m going to have trouble not pushing you for more if your hand keeps up.” Before she had finished the sentence Thor had removed his hand from her waist and taken a step away from her. “I didn’t say I wanted you to stop,” Darcy whined softly as she reached out to grasp his hand in hers.

They were inside the lobby of her building before either of them spoke again. As they neared Darcy’s apartment door she stopped walking to look up at him. “Come in? Maybe actually stay this time?”

“Okay,” Thor smiled, “But this is still not our third date.”

Darcy shook her head as she opened her door and set down her keys. “I’d say let’s agree to disagree, but I only get to feel your hands on me in one of these scenarios so I’m going to have to stand my ground.” She stepped inside and closed the door behind Thor.

“Oh,” Thor said as he reached out and pulled her closer to him. “Is that all you’re concerned about, Little One?” His large hand splayed against her back, two fingers deftly moving the bottom of her shirt up her back. “You’re sorely mistaken if you think you I won’t be touching you tonight.”

Darcy pressed her back into his touch, eager for more. “Should we skip the couch this time?”

Thor laughed, “Do not get too ahead of yourself.” He walked her backward further into her apartment until they were standing in the living room with Darcy’s knees pressed against the couch. “We are better off staying here. I don’t trust that you won’t tempt me,” he said as he spun them around and sunk into the middle of the couch. “Come here,” he gestured towards Darcy and pulled her down to straddle his lap, one hand moving to cup the back of her head as he hungrily sought out her lips.

Darcy moaned into his kiss, “Thor,” she panted, “This isn’t fair. I want you so bad already.”

Smiling, Thor pressed a kiss to the side of her jaw, “I never said I played fair, Little One.” His hand pushed up the back of her shirt, calloused fingers dragging against her soft skin. “Besides, I think you need to learn some patience,” he teased as he untangled himself from her to pull her shirt up and over her head. He was momentarily distracted by the sight of her breasts outlined in her lacy bra. Thor dipped his head down to kiss at the tops of them before tracing his tongue over the edge of the cup where the lace met her skin.

Darcy ground herself down into Thor’s lap, desperate for any friction against her clit as he nipped and teased at her delicate skin. “Oh my god,” Darcy cried as Thor pressed his hot mouth against her nipple through the fabric of her bra. She bucked against him, pressing her breasts further into his mouth as she rutted against his erection. “Please, Thor,” she found herself begging, though she wasn’t entirely certain what for.

“Patience,” was all he said before he bit down on her nipple. The hand on her back was tracing slow lines under the band of her bra, drawing closer and closer to the clasp. His other hand pulled the cup of her bra down to let her breast free for his exploration, mouth quickly settling back on her pert nipple.

Before Darcy knew it her bra was unclasped and falling towards the floor behind her, one breast being fondled by Thor’s mouth, the other by his hand. She knew without a doubt that her panties were flooded, and a small part of her was concerned for the fronts of Thor’s own pants. Mostly she just wanted more of Thor’s skin on hers. She grabbed at the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up as high as she could, thumbs caressing over his own nipples to match the way his tongue was lavishing hers.

They moaned into each others kiss, Darcy could feel how much Thor wanted her and hoped he’d forget about his goal of the third date. Slowly she brought a hand down his abs, enjoying each perfectly defined muscle as she made her way towards his waist. Just as she brushed her fingers beneath the line of his pants Thor shifted and moved away. “Not yet,” he breathed into her ear as he moved out from beneath her and settled her next to him on the couch.

Darcy groaned, crossing her legs in a desperate search for any pressure on her aching pussy. “Thor,” she reached out a hand to trace over his pecs as he brought his shirt back down over his chest. “Please?” she tried meekly, one hand coming up to tweak at her own nipple as she rocked forward into her crossed legs. She should be embarrassed to be so wanton, she knew, but right now the only thing she cared about was getting Thor between her.

“Not tonight,” Thor said as he leaned down and collected Darcy’s shirt from where it had fallen on the floor. “Here, put this on so you can walk me to your door,” he said as he handed the shirt to her. Darcy reluctantly dropped her hand from her breast and tugged the shirt on over her head.

Thor stood and helped her to her feet, taking her hand as they crossed the apartment. “Goodnight, little one,” he said before kissing her cheek sweetly. Darcy opened her door and leaned up to kiss him. After he parted from her lips, he leaned forward and whispered into her ear, “I know you want to touch yourself when I leave but don’t. Just be patient and trust that I will take care of you tomorrow.” He ended by nipping on her earlobe then chasing away the sting with his sweet tongue. “Until then, Little One,” he smiled as he turned and walked down the hall.

Darcy shut the door and struggled to keep in a scream. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever been more turned on in her life.

* * *

When Darcy got to her desk the next morning there was a manila envelope with her name scrawled across the top waiting for her. The blue dahlia from the day before was missing and in its place, Darcy could see a pink peony. She tore opened the envelope and laughed as she saw the latest edition of People magazine alongside a note reading:

_ Little One, _

_ I can’t wait to see you again tonight. Let’s stay in and order food so that we may spend more time in one another’s arms. I’ll see you tonight at 7. _

_ -Thor _

She wasted no time in googling what the meaning of a pink peony was, smiling when she saw it represented romance and compassion.


	4. No Bitter, No Sweetness

At seven that night there was a knock on Darcy’s door. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and opened the door, strangely nervous given the extensive history between herself and Thor. “Hi,” she smiled up at him, “Come on in.”

Thor stepped into the entryway and closed the door behind him, wasting no time in stepping into Darcy’s space and pulling her up against his body for a kiss. “I’ve been waiting to do that all day,” he said softly. “Hi,” he lowered her back down so that her feet were resting on the floor again.

Darcy turned around, desperate to hide the flush that was blooming across her cheeks, and walked towards the living room. “You know what I don’t understand?”

“What’s that?” Thor asked, following two steps behind her.

“I swear you weren’t that tall before you started calling me Little One.” As she spoke of the pet name Thor had bestowed on her the flush across her cheeks deepened and she smiled.

“Oh, do you like it when I call you that?” Thor grinned as he noticed the flush.

“Maybe,” she looked up at him from under her lashes. “Maybe I like it, yeah.”

“I’m glad,” he smiled. “I, uh, may have been slouching a little before. I didn’t want to seem too overpowering.”

“Honey,” Darcy said, disbelief coloring her voice, “What was your plan there? Were you just going to slouch for the rest of time?”

Thor blushed this time, “I hadn’t really considered it until you said you didn’t think you were small. I suppose I would have been forced to stand tall eventually. It goes against my nature to shrink myself so.”

“Well,” Darcy smiled, “I’m glad you stopped slouching, you should be proud of who you are, and I certainly don’t mind having to have your hands on me just to kiss you.”

They were still standing in the living room so Thor took the hint she gave willingly. “Like this?” he asked, hands bracketing her hips as he lifted her to his mouth again.

“Mmm hmm,” Darcy replied, her own hands snaking around his neck to tangle in his long blonde hair. She shifted in his arms and brought her legs up to wrap around his waist, “Exactly like this,” she said as she leaned into his kiss. Just as things were heating up between them Darcy’s stomach let out a small rumble. “That’s embarrassing,” she whispered, millimeters away from his soft lips.

Thor guided her legs back to the floor, “Don’t be embarrassed, I did come here for dinner after all.”

“I hope that’s not the only reason you came,” Darcy winked before pulling up a list of available delivery options on her phone. “Let’s see what our choices are,” she pulled Thor to stand next to her and leaned into him when he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Chinese?” she offered, pointing out one of the more favored delivery options.

“I am fond of the chicken of their General, that would be fine.”

Darcy busied herself with placing an order while Thor poured them both drinks and went back to the living room to sprawl across Darcy’s too-small couch. They talked idly while they waited for their meal to arrive, Darcy tucked neatly into Thor’s side with his arm wrapped around her waist. She could scarcely remember a time when he had touched her more, even though they were both still completely clothed.

She could feel the slick heat of her arousal growing between her legs, still worked up from the previous nights’ activities - or lack thereof, depending on who you asked. At this rate, Darcy was nearly ready to forget all about her rumbling tummy and just go straight to bed with Thor. Just before she could voice her opinion on the matter her doorbell chimed, their food had arrived.

Dinner was an easy affair, they had long since left any trace of awkwardness behind in the New Mexico desert, and Darcy had always found Thor to be a good conversationalist. At the end of the meal Thor eagerly grabbed up his fortune cookie and made to break it apart. “Ah ah,” Darcy called out to him, “Wait up. Do you know about these?”

“Yes, they often have silly phrases in them and the cookies are not entirely enjoyable.”

Darcy smiled, “Okay there are two rules for fortune cookies when you’re eating them with me. Number one, no reading your fortune until after you’ve eaten your cookie. Number two, you must read your fortune out loud and add the phrase ‘in bed’ to the end of it.”

Thor gazed at her with a question in his eyes, “I do not follow. What is the meaning behind these rules?”

“Well, your fortune won’t come true if you read it before you eat your cookie,” Darcy said, voice pitched to convey authority on the subject matter. “The ‘in bed’ rule is just because it’s fun. See, try it.”

Thor broke open his cookie and kept the small piece of paper folded in his hand as he chewed. Swallowing, he read aloud, “ _ It is not good to be a user. Blessings come from being a giver, not a taker.  _ In bed?” His mouth tipped up into a smile as he realized just how the meaning of the phrase was changed with the two-word addition. “This fortune is accurate, for I have been dreaming of all that I can give to you in bed and now I am blessed with your presence. Your turn, Little One. What does yours say?”

Darcy grinned and cracked opened her own cookie, deftly folding the paper into her palm as she popped one half of the cookie into her mouth. Thor quickly reached across the table for her hand, fingers seeking out her fortune. “Uh uh!” Darcy called around a mouth full of cookie, “Rule one dash A, no reading anyone else’s fortune before they can!” Darcy quickly shoved her other half of cookie into her mouth and sat on her hand to prevent Thor from reaching it. When she’d finished chewing she slowly brought her hand up and unfolded the fortune. “ _ Do not be covered in sadness or be fooled in happiness, they both must exist. _ In bed,” she paused to consider the phrase. “Eh, some fortunes aren’t as good as others. So what now? Do you want to watch a movie?” She asked with a sly grin.

“I had other plans for this evening,” Thor said rising from his chair and reaching out towards Darcy. “Come, I think we’ve done about all we can do on your tiny couch,” he smirked as she stood and moved to stand in front of him.

“You’ll get no arguments from me,” she followed behind him as he made his way through her apartment to her bedroom. Darcy was glad to be walking behind him, she took the time away from his gaze to flail wildly - she was actually, finally about to get laid and by Thor on top of it. The desire she’d tucked away to focus on dinner came roaring back to life when she was shoved up against the wall in her hallway.

Thor pressed his hard length against her and reached around her body to grab at her ass, pulling gently until she pressed her back into the wall and lifted her hips to wrap around his waist. He leaned in and kissed her, tongue sweeping into her mouth as she cupped the back of his head, desperate for more.

Darcy moaned into his kiss, “Mmm, more,” she said separating to press a little nip to the soft skin beneath his ear. “I want to feel you inside me,” she added, legs tightening their grip on his hips to bring him ever so slightly closer.

“In due time,” was all Thor would say before he claimed her mouth with his own. “Patience is a virtue, I hear,” he added as he nibbled gently on her lip.

“Not one of mine,” Darcy shot back quickly before she braced herself against the wall at her back and pressed forward enough to make Thor lose his footing.

“Watch it,” Thor teased, “You do that again and I’ll have to teach you a lesson in patience.” Even as he teased her he was pulling away from the wall and walking them towards her bedroom.

“Is that so? I’m curious,” she smiled as she traced the shell of his ear with her tongue, “What would that lesson entail?”

“Not now,” Thor grunted as he tossed her onto the center of her bed and then crawled in to lean over her. His lips found hers in a bruising kiss as he settled one thigh between her legs and pressed his weight down, thrilling as Darcy rutted against him.

“Who’s the bossy one now?” Darcy asked, one eyebrow raised, as she pulled at Thor’s shirt.

“Less talking, more kissing,” Thor smirked at her, as he raised his arms to help her pull his shirt off. “I want to see all of you,” he added as he tugged at the buttons on her shirt. Two of the buttons popped off. “Whoops,” Thor said with a slight blush.

“I don’t care about this shirt,” Darcy said breathily. The shirt was torn open in an instant and Darcy arched her back to help Thor get it off of her arms.

He kissed his way from her neck to her belly button, detouring only to lave his tongue over a nipple until they were both stiff peaks. The chill that the now damp fabric of her bra left caused Darcy to moan, bucking her hips into Thor. His hand came up to pinch a nipple and he grinned at the moan Darcy made when he twisted it in his grip. Soon he was desperate for more contact, more skin to kiss. His hand reached around her body to grasp at the clasp of her bra, opening it deftly. She shrugged out of the garment willingly, smiling up at Thor as he took in the sight of her breasts bare beneath him.

His hand resumed its place on her nipple, pinching and tugging, as his mouth sweetly sucked on the other. The combination of feelings left her dizzy and reaching for him, desperate to feel more of him everywhere she could. Her hands danced down his back on their way towards his waist but before Darcy could reach her destination Thor grabbed her hands by the wrists and held them above her head. “Not yet,” he whispered even as his own hand was unbuttoning her jeans.

Darcy lifted her hips to help him as he pulled her pants down her body, lips pressing kissing to each inch of bare skin he passed. When he’d finally gotten her free he knelt down between her thighs and nibbled at the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs. “You’re so wet for me,” he nearly moaned as he pulled her panties aside to swipe at her inner folds.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Darcy groaned as he removed his fingers. “What do you think I’ve been trying to tell you?”

“Mmm,” Thor chuckled as he pulled at the waist of her panties, “Don’t make me regret my decision to wait on teaching you that lesson.”

Darcy gasped at the sensation of cool air on her pussy as Thor pulled her panties out of the way. He resumed his position between her thighs and licked a hot strip up her slit with his tongue finishing with a swirl around her swollen clit. She opened her mouth to beg for more but thought better of it, instead settling for arching her back into his mouth and tugging at his hair.

Thor pressed two fingers into her chamber quickly, crooking them up as he rubbed at her inner walls. “Oh my god,” Darcy panted as he stroked the rough spot near her opening that made her see stars. “Please, Thor,” she called out to him as he continued his ministrations, “More.” The way Thor’s tongue and fingers worked in tandem against her had her climbing ever closer to climax and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could last.

Just as Darcy was sure she would come undone Thor backed away from her wet heat. “Were I teaching you a lesson in patience I would stop here,” he teased, hot breath caressing the sensitive skin of her inner thighs.

“Thor, please,” Darcy begged, desperate for the press of his mouth against her again. As soon as the plea left her lips Thor resumed his task, tongue darting out to lash at her sensitive clit as his two fingers dipped back inside her, seeking out the spot that made her fall apart beneath him. It wasn’t long before she was writhing under his ministrations, one hand gripping the back of his head to keep him in place while the other clawed desperately at the headboard as she came undone.

He kept his fingers plunging in and out of her as she quaked around him, ceasing only when she pulled at his shoulders to bring him up the bed. “Worth the wait?” he asked her cheekily.

“Shut up,” she grinned as she wrapped her legs around his waist. “Maybe take off your pants first though?” she asked, squirming against the rough fabric on her already sensitive skin. Finally, Darcy thought, Thor was on the same page she was. He stripped himself of his remaining clothes faster than she thought possible and came back to his place between her legs. “Hold up,” Darcy said as she pushed at his shoulder, “I want to get a look at you first.”

Thor grinned as he flipped over and lay on his back, “Look away.”

Darcy trailed her hands over the hard ripples of his abdomen, stopping to tug gently at the trail of curls that started just below his belly button. She grinned as she got on her knees by his hips to take in the sight of his long, hard cock. “Hello,” she whispered as she pressed a kiss to the base of it. “I think we’re going to be very good friends,” she added just before her lips circled the head and her tongue swirled around it.

“Did you just talk to my-” Thor stopped himself as Darcy took more of him into her mouth, tongue laving at the sensitive underside of his head as she sucked him down.

“Yes,” Darcy said to Thor as she popped her lips off of his penis, “I think it’s only appropriate seeing as we’re about to become intimately acquainted.” She swung one of her legs over his waist and centered herself above him. “Sooner than later, I hope,” she added as she began to sink down. Her wet folds encompassed his hard cock as she gyrated against him. “You feel so good and you aren’t even inside me yet,” Darcy moaned.

Before she knew it she was on her back again, Thor leaning above her as he lined himself up. “Are you ready?” he asked her as he pressed the tip of himself inside her.

“More than,” Darcy sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him down for a kiss. Just as their lips met Thor pushed himself inside of her, his tongue echoing his movements down below. Darcy’s legs came up around his waist of their own accord as she arched her back into him, meeting him thrust for thrust. “Fuck, that’s good,” Darcy cried out.

“You’re so tight around me, Little One,” Thor groaned, biting down on her shoulder and thrilling at the groan Darcy made. “You feel so good,” he added as he leaned in to kiss her.

Darcy was speechless, only able to make small moans. She had forgotten how much she’d missed the feeling of fullness, the press of heat as it moved within her. Thor grabbed at one of her legs and dragged it up his body and over his shoulder. The change in angle broke her spell. “Oh my god, yes,” Darcy cried out, “God yes!”

Thor kept up his rhythm as Darcy cried out to him. He braced himself on the mattress with one hand as the other sought out her nipple, tweaking it in time with his thrusts. The additional stimulation sent Darcy over the edge again and idly Thor considered how pleased he was that she was screaming his name so loudly that she’d likely be hoarse afterward, just as he’d wished. Her inner walls quivered around him driving him closer to orgasm and the sight of her breasts bouncing beneath him sent him over the edge and calling her name.

A few moments later as the sweat was cooling on their skin Thor pulled away from her. Darcy whined at the sudden emptiness. “Shh, Little One,” Thor chuckled as he kissed her cheek. “You’ll have me again soon enough.” He got up from the bed and came back moments later with a damp washcloth. “Rest now,” he smiled as he cleaned her body with a gentle hand.

“Don’t go,” Darcy murmured sleepily.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Thor smiled.

* * *

The next morning Darcy woke with a start when her phone buzzed on her bedside table. She barely had time to register the heavy weight of an arm over her waist before Thor was leaning over her, “Good Morning, Darcy. What wakes you?”

She picked up her phone,  glanced at the notification on the screen and groaned before putting it face down on the table and turning into Thor’s embrace. “Nothing important, let’s go back to sleep.” Thor kissed the top of her head and muttered his agreement, adjusted his hold on Darcy, and then was back to sleep in minutes.

Darcy wished she had it so easy. The notification had been a message from Ben, a simple ‘Good morning, Darcy’. A variation of the same message he always sent and she always ignored. She hated how his timing always seemed to be impeccable - just when she was starting to get settled he’d message her again and kick up all of her old feelings of worthlessness and distrust.

Really, she thought to herself as she squirmed in Thor’s embrace, she was kidding herself if she thought a relationship with Thor was going to work out. He was a god, and she was just a mortal girl. She didn’t even have superpowers like most of the people they spent time around. Sure, he was infatuated with her now but soon the shine would wear off and he’d be sick of her. It was just a question of how long that would take and if Darcy would let her heart be stomped on again.

Thor moved in his sleep giving Darcy just enough room to wiggle out from under his arm and shuffle off to the bathroom. Once there she shut the door quietly behind her and began to pace the length of the small room. Thor was great, and being around him definitely made Darcy happy but was it worth the inevitable heartbreak and pain that would come later?

Darcy thought back to the days and weeks right after Ben had finally left her, how she’d barely managed to get to class, let alone manage higher level functions. Her job with the Avengers would require her to be ready and available at a moments notice and she knew that wouldn’t be possible if she were suffering heartbreak. Especially heartbreak at the hands of Thor, who she’d have to continue working with. She needed to talk to Jane and she needed to talk to her as soon as possible, the only problem was her cell phone and laptop were both sitting on the top of her nightstand.

Quietly, she opened the door to the bathroom and snuck over towards where her electronics lay waiting for her. Darcy’s heart was racing in a panic as she crept back towards the bathroom. She was nearly back in the safety of the room when she heard Thor turn over in bed, “My sweet? What troubles you? I can hear your heart pounding from here.”

So much for stealth, Darcy thought as she abandoned her phone and slunk back to the bed where Thor was waiting with opened arms. “It’s nothing,” Darcy said scratching at her shoulder before she attempted to hide her anguish by nestling into his waiting arms.

“Little one,” Thor said sternly, “Do not think you can get away with lying to me that easily. Your distress is clearly written on your face, and were it not I would have known anyway.”

“How is that?” Darcy probed, desperate to distract Thor and change the subject.

“You have a tell when you lie. Do not try and distract me, I have not forgotten your distress. It troubles me that you think you cannot share it with me,” Thor said with concern.

Darcy sighed as she let Thor’s words sink in. Ben, for all of his supposed perfection, would not have even noticed she was bothered by something, let alone press her for an answer. Maybe she was overreacting and things with Thor would be different. Maybe Jane had been right, things with Ben hadn’t been as perfect as she had thought. Maybe Darcy and Thor had a shot at happiness after all.

“It’s not that I don’t think I can share it with you, Big Guy,” Darcy said finally. “It’s just that I don’t want to burden you with my problems if I can help it.”

“It is no burden if it eases your pain, sweet one,” Thor said as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Darcy remained silent for a few moments as she gathered her thoughts. Thor sat and stroked her arm gently waiting her out. “Do you remember the other night when I told you about my ex-boyfriend, Ben?” Thor nodded against her head so she continued. “It was a little strange that you knew to ask if he left willingly when I told you about him. After I finally got him out of my apartment I thought I was free from hearing from him again until about a month later. I woke up one morning to a simple text from him wishing me a good morning. I thought maybe I hadn’t made myself clear enough when I kicked him out of the apartment so I replied and told him never to contact me again.”

“I take it this scoundrel did not listen?” Thor asked before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. The weight of his arms around Darcy’s body was a great comfort - idly she wondered if those weighted blankets for anxiety may be onto something.

“That’s one way to put it,” she said. “He didn’t respond immediately, I thought I was off the hook. Unfortunately a week later another message from him popped up. I didn’t reply to it, or any of the others he’s sent me since then. He messaged me this morning; it’s what woke me up earlier.”

“What did he have to say?” Thor asked, glad that Darcy could not see his face from her current position or it would have betrayed the anger he felt towards this small man who would not leave her be.

“Same old, same old,” Darcy said. “Just another good morning message. Jane said he reaches out to her sometimes, too. I’m really not sure what he thinks he’s going to achieve - even if I did want him back his lack of respect for my wishes really just drives home that I don’t want to be with him.”

Thor took in her words and considered them as he continued to stroke her arms gently, as though soothing one of the mares he would have ridden on Asgard. “You mentioned threatening him with your police force before. Have you considered getting them involved?” he asked softly, knowing instinctually that now was not the time to betray his anger.

“No,” Darcy admitted. “I’ve sort of been hoping it would go away on its own. He’s bound to meet someone else eventually and then maybe he’ll forget about me. I’m not really sure why he’s so hung up on me in the first place.”

“No?” Thor asked, shifting her around in his grasp so that he could look at her. “You are a rare beauty, even to this Asgardian.” Darcy snorted at that, disbelief coloring her features. “Do not doubt me, Darcy. Even if you did not have your beauty, your spirit and your soul would be enough to warrant ceaseless affection. It does not mean this Ben should disregard your wishes, however.”

“I know,” Darcy said quietly. “But it’s not like the messages are hurting me in any way, so why go through the hassle of involving the law?”

Thor sat up straighter in the bed. “What do you mean they are not hurting you?” he asked, any trace of mirth gone from his features. “Were you not in distress just after receiving his message? Did you not sneak away from me to pace the floor of your bathroom earlier?” When Darcy looked at him wide eyes he added, “Yes, Darcy. I could hear you through the closed door.”

Darcy sighed as she looked down at her hands where they fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. “I guess, yeah. I mean, it doesn’t hurt so much anymore now that I’ve got some space from it at least.” She paused, carefully considering her next words. “But it does still hurt a little, you’re right. It’s like ripping a band-aid off, stings just a bit for a few minutes but I get over it soon enough. It’s just never seemed like it’d be worth the trouble to make him stop.”

“I would like it if you would at least consider it,” Thor said pulling her back against his chest and into his embrace. “I do not like that this boy troubles you so.”

“I’ll think about it,” Darcy said as she scooted down in the bed. The warm press of Thor’s body against her back combined with the soothing strokes of his hands had lulled her back into drowsiness. “For now can we sleep?”

“Of course, Little One,” Thor said as laid down behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Until you wake again,” he whispered, pressing a kiss against her cheek.

* * *

“Okay, tell me everything,” Jane said as she sipped her margarita in the Skype window. “Okay, not everything. I don’t want the details, it’d just be weird. Give me the highlights,” she clarified.

Darcy grinned at her friend, “Oh my gods Jane he’s amazing. He’s brought me a different flower each date we’ve been on. Today when I was at lunch he snuck an amazing red tulip onto my desk. Natasha’s been helping me with the symbolism behind all of them and it’s kind of amazing,” Darcy gushed. “And when he kisses me?! Amazing!”

Jane laughed at her friend, “Okay, take a breath girl. You just said amazing four times in as many sentences, I’m going to need you to calm down.”

Darcy let out a small squeal and then took a deep breath. “Okay, okay it’s out of my system. But suffice to say I’m glad you and Natasha kicked my butt and made me see reason.”

“I’m glad to see you happy, I’ve missed it,” Jane smiled.

“Aww, Janey, I’ve been okay.”

Jane pursed her lips, “You haven’t, but I don’t want to get into this argument with you now. I’m glad you’re happy, Darcy. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to have someone love you the way Thor will no doubt love you soon.”

Darcy blushed, “He said something this morning that made me think of what you said about Ben. About how the relationship wasn’t perfect.” Darcy took a long drink of her own margarita while she let her words sink in.

“Oh?” Jane asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Yeah,” she sighed, “I woke up cause I got a text message from Ben. I didn’t respond, I just ignored it. But then I couldn’t get back to sleep. I was pacing in my bathroom thinking about how ridiculous I was being for thinking I could make something between me and Thor last.” Jane opened her mouth to speak but Darcy cut her off before she could start, “Don’t start right now, Jane. Please…I decided to sneak out to the bedroom so I could send you a message - see, I told you not to start- but Thor woke up and caught me.”

“Good,” Jane said pointedly, “I’m glad.”

“Jane how many margaritas have you had, exactly? You do remember I was getting my phone to message you?” Darcy asked, refilling her own glass for the second time. “Anyway, he asked me what was wrong, flag numero uno, and then when I told him it was nothing he refused to drop the subject. Flag numero dos.”

“Wait, so he noticed you were upset and asked what was wrong? That made you think about how your relationship with Ben wasn’t perfect?”

“Well, yeah. Ben probably never would have woken up, and even if he did he wouldn’t have noticed I was upset or asked if I was okay. He probably would have just asked me where I was going so early in the morning and then fallen back to sleep.”

“Darcy,” Jane said as she set down her glass with slightly too much force. “Ben was an asshole. When are you going to realize that not all men are assholes?”

“Ben treated me a whole hell of a lot better than most of the other guys I dated, so forgive me for finding it difficult to recognize when he was being a dick.”

“Natasha was right,” Jane pouted. “You have been dating the wrong guys.”

Darcy’s eyebrows shot to the top of her forehead, “When did you talk to her?! I can’t believe you would talk about me behind my back!”

“Darcy, it’s hardly behind your back if I’m telling you about it now. Relax, it’s not a big deal. She messaged me to make sure I was okay with her setting you and Thor up. We talked about it.”

Darcy hid her face in her hands, “I can’t believe you two got together to try and set me up.”

“Well, believe it because it happened,” Jane said. “Let’s get back to Ben. Have you seen him again?”

Darcy sighed, “No, I don’t think so. I told you I was pretty sure he stayed in Virginia when I left.”

“Yes, but you also called me in a panic after you thought you saw him at the bodega across the street from your apartment,” Jane replied. She could hear Darcy open her mouth to reply but cut her off, “Twice.”

“I think it was just a doppelganger, I haven’t seen him again,” Darcy replied.

“Okay, and what about the text messages? How many has he sent you?”

Darcy shrugged, “I’d have to check the spreadsheet, but I think we’re averaging at least 1 a week since we broke up. What about you?”

Jane rolled her eyes, “I’ve updated the document every time he’s contacted me. I just don’t know why you’re having me do it when you aren’t going to do anything about it anyway.”

“About that,” Darcy smiled. “His message really threw me for a loop when I got it. I never realized how bad it was bothering me until Thor pointed it out, but now that he has I can’t escape it. Every time I get a notification on my phone I jump a little, worried maybe it’s him. I think I’ve been doing it for a while now, I just hadn’t noticed.”

“Please tell me you’re going to report his ass,” Jane looked hopefully on at her friend.

“I’ve been doing some research into what I need to do. I can probably submit for an Order of Protection against him without a lawyer, but I need to gather evidence for my case first.”

Jane grinned, “Let me know what you need from me and you’ve got it.”

Darcy was glad to know she had the support of her best friend. It wasn’t that she hadn’t known Jane would support her in this all along but hearing her say it meant the world to her then. There were so many changes happening in her life that she couldn’t be sure what way was straight and having Janey there to help her out made her feel so much more secure.

* * *

“Point Break, how’s it hanging with Boobs?” Tony called to Thor from across his lab.

Thor made a face as he crossed to stand in front of him. “I would entreat you not to refer to the Lady Darcy by her feminine parts, for she is more than just her beauty.”

Tony rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah, okay. What brings you here?”

“I could use your advice. I have just learned of an ex-boyfriend of Darcy’s-”

“Whoa there, I’m not getting involved in any lovers spats,” Tony interrupted.

Thor breathed in through his nose seeking out any ounce of patience he had within him. “Do not assume so quickly. This boy has been harassing Darcy for more than a year, and I am curious if you know of any legal ramifications I could take on her behalf.”

Tony straightened up at this, focused intently. “Wait, you mean Short Stuff’s been silently suffering a harasser this whole time?”

“Aye, it is quite unfortunate,” Thor agreed.

Tony frowned, “There’s nothing you can do for her, short of bashing his skull in with that hammer of yours, but I could put her in touch with one of my lawyers who could probably help her out.”

“As much as I may wish to use the might of my hammer against this pitiful boy, I suspect Darcy would not be happy with me for doing so. I will speak to her about this lawyer you mentioned, maybe I can persuade her to speak with them.”

“Do that,” Tony said with a dismissive nod, turning back to the project he’d abandoned when Thor entered the lab. When he heard the lab doors slide closed he called out, “Friday, compile me a list of all Darcy Lewis’ inbound phone calls and messages. Disregard all data from numbers connected to known associates and figure out which number belongs to the kid who’s harassing her. Let’s dig up some dirt,” he grinned.

* * *

“Hello! Back again so soon?” the kind woman who owned the flower shop Thor had been stopping in welcomed him in as the bells that hung on the door chimed.

“Yes,” Thor smiled as he approached the counter she stood at. “I’m looking for a flower that conveys love and respect for the recipient. I suspected you may have an idea of what I should get?”

He’d happened by her store the day of his first date with Darcy and could not help but purchase the sunflowers he saw there. When the woman let him know of its meaning he was surprised to learn of this language of the flowers. She’d been helping him with picking the right blossoms after each of his dates with Darcy since then.

“Ah, the classic red rose is the blossom you want then. Romantic, a natural choice for telling someone you love them. Respect is one of the lesser known meanings behind the red rose, but rest assured it is there.” She turned and surveyed the bucket of rose blossoms behind her. “Let’s see…a single, full bloom means ‘I Love You’, and if the stem is thornless it adds on love at first sight.” She turned around and placed three separate blossoms on the counter for him to look at.

Thor looked over the blooms she had chosen. Two were not quite in full bloom, one with a thorn and one without, another was a fuller bloom with a single thorn, and finally a thornless option in full bloom. As much as Thor would have liked to have said his feelings for Darcy had been love at first sight, he knew that would be a lie as he had been immediately taken with Jane. He carefully chose the full bloomed red rose with the single thorn. “This one, I think,” he said as he handed it over.

“Lovely,” the woman smiled as she wrapped the blossom in a wet towel for him and rang up his purchase. “I’m glad you’ve been stopping by, it’s good to know the language of the flowers is not being forgotten.”

“I hope for many future returns,” Thor smiled as he left the shop, an unembarrassed skip in his step as he made his way back towards the tower.


	5. No Pain, No Pleasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Earning that E rating for _sure_ in this chapter. Do not read anywhere you shouldn't read smut.

Darcy had gotten to her desk that morning to find a fresh daffodil blossom waiting for her along with a note, the single rose from the day before still in the tall shot glass. She smiled as she clipped the rose stem just above the single thorn then quickly braided the stem into her hair. Once she was done she picked up the note, “ _ Darcy, do me the honor of sharing dinner with me tonight at 7. Yours, Thor. _ ”

She refreshed the water and placed the daffodil in the makeshift vase before a quick google search told her that it meant desire. Quicker than the lightning that preceded Thor’s thunder, a heat pooled in the base of her groin, a low fever that stewed all day long as she considered what Thor might desire of her that night.

Thirty minutes before Thor was due at her door and Darcy was anxious, crossing her legs in a desperate search for relief to the desire she’d been feeling for Thor all day. Earlier she’d considered taking care of herself quickly but immediately thought better of it, certain Thor would somehow know about it and chastise her. She sat on her couch scrolling through Twitter as the minutes passed by. When Thor’s knock sounded at her door she actually jumped a little before quickly getting up and pulling him inside her apartment.

“Hey, there,” she smiled coyly as she leaned up on her tiptoes seeking out a kiss.

“Hi,” Thor smiled back as he ducked down to kiss her chastely before backing out of her embrace. “Are you ready to go?”

“Sure, just let me get my purse,” Darcy turned around quickly, hoping to hide her displeasure at his subtle refusal of her at the door.

“I see you wear my flower in your hair,” Thor commented as he held the door opened for her.

“Yeah, the bloom was so pretty this morning I didn’t want to get rid of it. I hope you don’t mind,” Darcy said sheepishly.

“On the contrary. Every man shall know you are mine with you wearing my gift.”

“I’m not sure it’s that simple, Big Guy,” Darcy smiled up at him as he took her hand.

“Sure it is. Did you not easily find the meaning of the flower I left for you this morning?” he asked.

“You know I did,” Darcy dropped his hand to snake hers around his waist and dip her thumb into the top of his pants. “I’ve been desiring you all day,” she said as her fingers slid into his back pants pocket.

“Not now, Little One,” he said as he squeezed her ass in a tight pinch before backing away from her reach. The rest of the night followed suit, every time Darcy got closer to instigating something Thor would gently dissuade her before redirecting her attention. She was beginning to lose her cool.

“You know,” Darcy said as she closed the door behind Thor after they got back from dinner, “For someone who claims to be impatient, you certainly ask me to be patient a lot,” she quipped. Moments ago in the hallway, as he walked her towards her door she’d tried to sneak a feel of his ass again only to be met with, “Patience, Little One,” and another pinch to her ass. She was certain she’d have three small bruises on her ass come morning, each one accompanying a similar command from him.

“Is that so?” Thor asked as he reached out to grasp Darcy’s wrist in his large hand. “I hadn’t noticed.”

Darcy let out a short bark of laughter, “Why don’t I believe you?”

Thor turned so he was standing directly in front of Darcy and dropped her wrist only to bring both of his hands around her waist, palms resting opened on the swell of her ass. “I do recall telling you that I’d have to teach you a lesson in patience sometime.”

“Is that what this is?” Darcy asked as she tried to tilt her hips closer to him but found his grasp unrelenting.

“You’ll tell me to stop if it gets to be too much,” Thor whispered into her ear before nibbling on the lobe. “And don’t think I won’t know if you’re faking it just to get me to let you come,” he said into the other ear.

Darcy moaned at his words, certain she wouldn’t be able to hold out long with as turned on as she already was. “Okay,” she nodded before nuzzling his neck, “I’ll tell you to stop if I need you to.”

“Good. Come,” he said turning on his heel.

“Well that was fast,” Darcy smiled as she began to unbutton her jeans and sneak a hand down the front of her panties.

Thor stopped on his way towards her living room, turning to look at her with his eyes narrowed in an unspoken reprimand. “You know exactly what I meant, Darcy. Do not play dumb.” He turned around once again and continued to walk into her living room and sit down on the couch.

“I thought my couch was too small,” Darcy sassed as she walked up to him and stood with her legs on either side of his. She wasn’t sure why she was suddenly so nervous, only certain that her snarkiness coming out in full force was an attempt to hide it from Thor.

“Maybe for some things, but it is perfect for what I have in mind,” Thor replied patiently as he tugged gently on the fronts of her hips and helped her down to straddle his lap.

“What’s that?” Darcy asked, nervousness coming to the forefront of her mind.

Thor watched her face carefully as he considered her words. He was used to these types of games on Asgard where the rules and expectations were an unspoken understanding between partners. It hadn’t occurred to him until just now that maybe Darcy wasn’t entirely sure what she’d signed on for. This was not a concern, he mused, he could help her understand easily. He chuckled, “Always so desperate to know the next three steps. Why don’t you let me take control for now, hmm?”

“I already said-” Darcy began to argue before Thor placed a finger on her lips.

“You’ve agreed to let me teach you a lesson in patience, yes.” Darcy began to open her mouth against Thor’s finger, unwilling to back down from the argument. “Ah ah, Little One. Let me finish.” He paused until Darcy’s mouth relaxed beneath him, “As I was saying, you agreed but I do not think you considered what that agreement meant.” When Darcy did not try to argue he removed his hand and shuffled her to the side so he could be sure she was listening to him, not rubbing herself off on his lap.

“If you agree to this, Darcy, it means I’ll be the one in control of everything this evening. You can ask me if I will do something for you, or let you do something, but there is no guarantee I will allow it.”

Darcy’s eyes grew dark as she listened to him speak, excited about the possibilities but a little wary of not being able to call the shots. She was used to being the one in charge of things, always bossing someone around- scientist, boyfriend- it didn’t really matter. Even when she wasn’t in charge she was three steps ahead of the rest of her peers with backup plans for when something inevitably went wrong. She didn’t like to admit it, but she usually had the same outlook on sexual activities as she did everything else. Better to plan ahead for the issues than to be taken by surprise. “And you can’t like…tell me anything about what your plans are?” she asked, hopeful that the anxiety she was feeling wasn’t entirely evident in her voice.

Thor considered her question carefully before responding. “I could do that if it would make you more comfortable, yes.”

“But?” Darcy prompted, sure that there was more coming.

“If you were to enjoy this evening I would have you consider doing this again without knowledge of my plans,” he said as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “It can heighten the enjoyment,” he added as an afterthought.

“Okay,” Darcy said quietly as she leaned into his touch.

“Okay, what?” Thor asked, wanting to hear her say the words rather than assume they were on the same page, especially with as timid as she was being.

Darcy took a breath and looked up into Thor’s eyes, “Okay. You can take control of tonight and if I like it we can experiment more.” Her voice was more confident this time, enough that Thor believed she knew what she was agreeing to.

“Thank you, Little One,” he smiled as he deftly maneuvered her back to his lap.

Darcy hummed pleasantly as she settled herself against him, his cock hardening beneath her. “What were you thinking of doing, Thor?” Darcy asked nervously, her one concession still not fulfilled.

“Well first,” Thor started as he leaned in to place a kiss at the corner of her jaw before continuing to whisper into her ear, “I thought we’d take it slow. I’d kiss you here,” he pressed a kiss to the spot just below her ear and trailed more wet kisses down to her shoulder. “I’d let you get yourself worked up on my lap until you started begging for more.”

Darcy couldn’t help but grind herself down against him, already wet and wanting more. “Then,” he continued, his breath tickling her sensitive skin, “Once I am certain you cannot take any more I will push you further still.”

“Mmm, Thor,” Darcy groaned out as he nibbled at the skin his breath had just caressed.

“Eventually,” he continued as his hands grasped her hips to keep her from pressing down against him further, “I’ll move us to the bedroom where if you’re lucky I’ll remove your clothes.” The slow fire that had been building in Darcy all day was growing more and more insistent.

“What then?” Darcy asked, her voice breathy with her lips brushing playfully against his mouth.

Thor took a moment to kiss her breathless before responding. “So eager already,” he huffed. “I’d not planned the specifics,” Thor admitted, “Though I intend to get you close to orgasm at least three times before allowing you to come.”

Darcy struggled against his grasp on her hips, desperate for friction against her center as she could feel her panties flooding from his words alone. She groaned as she pushed herself against his hands and leaned in to resume their kiss.

Thor broke away from her, leaning back just far enough that Darcy could not reach him to kiss him further. “Does that sound amenable to you?” His lips were so close, Darcy was certain if she could just get his hands to let up their relentless grasp she could be kissing him again. She shuffled on his lap, hips pressing hard against his grip as she leaned forward. She’d managed to gain a fraction of an inch of ground towards him but the moment she felt her lips touch Thor’s he leaned further back. “Answer me, Darcy,” he commanded firmly.

Darcy had trouble remembering what she was meant to have answered, her head was so filled with thoughts of getting closer to Thor. “Hmm?” she asked him casually once she’d determined she really had no idea what he had asked her.

Quickly, before Darcy even had a chance to know it was happening, Thor had pushed her back so her backside was resting on his knees, the bony joints pressing uncomfortably into her ass. “I’ll ask you again, do try and pay attention this time,” Thor smirked, his tone light but commanding.

“Okay,” Darcy agreed, all her nerves at attention and waiting for any stimulation they could get.

“Do my plans sound amenable to you?” Thor asked, slowly as he stared into her eyes. He watched as her pupils dilated while she thought over what he’d told her.

“Yes,” Darcy agreed. “Definitely amenable. Let’s get this show on the road,” she smiled as she tried again to shuffle her way forward on his lap again. His grip was unrelenting and Darcy made no progress which somehow served to turn her on further.

“Ah, Little One. You say you agree to my terms and yet still you struggle for control,” Thor smiled.

“I’m not!” Darcy began to argue with him even as she squirmed against his knees.

“Oh?” Thor asked with an eyebrow raised, “What is it that you’re trying to do now, Little One?”

Darcy paused in her wriggling attempt to get closer to him as she considered his words. “I just want you so badly,” she finally admitted when she ceased her struggle. The moment she stopped pushing against him Thor slid her back down his legs into his lap and let her settle herself on top of him. “Oh,” she said softly as Thor lifted his hands and let her grind herself against his hard length.

“Let me give you what you want,” Thor whispered into her ear, hips surging forward into hers as he spoke, “I swear to you, you will not regret it.” All of the anguish and concern Darcy had over relinquishing control vanished at his words. She knew he would take care of her, there had yet to be a time they’d been together where he hadn’t.

“Okay,” Darcy whispered against his neck, “Okay.” She kissed at the vein of his neck, tongue licking softly against it as she worked her way up towards his jaw. As she pressed a kiss into the stubble on his cheek, Thor snaked a hand up through her hair to gently pull her towards his lips.

“Remember,” Thor spoke against her lips with a smirk, “ _ I’m _ the one who’s supposed to be driving  _ you  _ crazy.” Before Darcy could respond he kissed her deeply, tongue plunging into her mouth to stroke along hers. The action had the desired effect- Darcy arching herself into the kiss while pressing further into his groin, her back bowed out against his forearm.

“It’s working,” Darcy moaned as soon as Thor broke apart from her. “I’m definitely going to go crazy if you don’t touch me soon.”

“But I am touching you, Little One,” Thor grinned as he flexed his fingers that were still twined in her hair to pull on the strands.

Darcy sucked in a gasp of air and pressed her hands against his chest. “Please, Thor,” she begged. “I just need you to touch me. Please.”

“Mmmm,” Thor hummed as he slowly moved his hand from the back of the couch. “You asked very nicely,” he smiled as his hand skimmed up the side of her body, fingers barely grazing the fabric of her shirt, “I suppose that does deserve a reward.”

Thor’s hand moved quickly to her breast, fingers finding her hardened nipple quickly and setting to tugging on it as he rolled it through his fingers. “Oh my god,” Darcy moaned as she pressed herself further into him. “More, please,” she begged again.

“Ah,” Thor chided while pulling on her hair even as he continued to play with her nipple. “You aren’t nearly desperate enough for more,” he said as he tilted her head to one side and whispered into the newly revealed ear, “Yet.”

“Fuck, I’ve never been this turned on with all my clothes on,” Darcy admitted. Thor smiled as he moved his hand to her other breast, giving that nipple the same attention as he’d shown the other.

“I’ll take that challenge,” Thor grinned, pushing her up his legs again and holding her there with one hand as the other reached into his pants to readjust himself.

Darcy groaned, “That wasn’t meant to be a challenge.” She had not been kidding, her pants were soaked through and she noticed she was beginning to cause a damp spot on Thor’s pants too. “I don’t know how much more I can take,” she said as he slid her back down onto his lap, his hard cock now laying against his abdomen to give Darcy better friction as she writhed against him.

“You’ll surprise yourself when you see how far you go.” Thor guided Darcy’s hands to press onto his legs, her back arched, pussy pressing into him. Once she was settled he reached both of his hands up to grasp at her nipples, taking turns pinching one as he slowly circled the other knowing that the dual sensations would drive her wild.

Darcy shifted in his lap, the new angle from her position and his realigned cock doing wonders for her. Her knee sank further back and her jeans shifted, the seam suddenly pressed right against her swollen clit as she ground against Thor. “Oh, fuck,” Darcy moaned as her legs began to twitch.

Before she had even finished her curse Thor had pushed her up his lap again, carefully avoiding touching her anywhere that might set her further on the path to orgasm. Darcy glared up at him from under her eyelashes. “You ass,” she hissed as her hips tilted forward in a desperate attempt at rubbing off against him.

The hand on her right hip grasped her firmly as his left hand retracted and swatted lightly at her ass. “Do not insult me, Darcy. It would do you well to remember I am the one who says if you get to finish tonight.” Thor let the threat hang in the air as Darcy’s breathing evened back out. When he was certain she’d backed away from the edge of her desire he spoke again, “That was one out of three, Little One. You did well, though a little more warning next time might be nice,” he kissed her cheek. “What do you say we go to the bedroom?”

“Yeah,” Darcy nodded, “That would be good.” She hadn’t meant to curse Thor, she’d just been so worked up over not getting to come, even though she knew ahead of time that he wouldn’t let her finish just yet. “I’m sorry for yelling at you,” Darcy whispered as he stood up from the couch and wrapped her legs around him.

“You’re forgiven.”

Thor carried her into the bedroom and lay her down in the middle of her bed. He knelt over her, leaning down to kiss her lips, her neck, the tops of her breasts. His mouth danced down towards her nipple, his tongue dragging along the fabric of her shirt. They were still pebbled up, eager for attention and Thor was glad to give it to them.

The fabric of her shirt and bra dampened the sensation she was feeling but Darcy was still moaning beneath him, her hips twitching lightly as she sought out pressure against her throbbing center. He continued teasing her nipples, switching his mouth between them at random as she writhed beneath him. He knew it would not take her long before she was back to the precipice and he wanted to enjoy every moment of this while it lasted.

“Fuck,” Darcy whispered as Thor’s hands pushed her shirt up her body, his head lifting as he moved it over her breasts. Her hands moved towards the headboard as Thor tugged the shirt off her body. He leaned back so he could gaze down at her, swollen lips begging him to kiss her, pert nipples nearly poking through the fabric of her bra. He could smell her arousal already and the heady scent caused his cock to throb in his pants.

“Please,” Darcy whispered as her hands lifted up to pull at Thor’s arms, “Please, touch me.”

Thor smiled, her desperate attempt to pull him towards her would never work and she knew that. Still, she had been well behaved so far. “Alright, Little One,” he said as his hands found either side of her waist and skimmed up towards her bra. The fabric above either nipple was still wet from his earlier attention and Thor pursed his lips to blow cool air across them. Darcy jerked and groaned before Thor’s mouth descended on her nipple, warm tongue swirling around the tightened peak.

Darcy continued to writhe beneath him, her moans growing breathier as Thor continued to massage her breasts and tease her nipples. He shifted on the bed and brought one knee between her legs to give her something to rub up against. “That’s it,” he whispered as his hands undid the clasp of her bra, “You’ve been so good, Darcy.” She arched her back to help him remove her bra and moaned when it pushed her pussy up against his leg.

Thor’s tongue found her nipple again immediately and without any fabric between them, the sensation was almost too good. Darcy’s hands went to his head, fingers clasping his hair and holding him to her nipple as she wriggled against his leg trying desperately to get the right contact to set her off. She was close, she knew that soon she’d be skittering straight towards the edge of orgasm and she needed to let Thor know before it happened.

“I’m getting close,” said, already mourning the inevitable loss of contact.

“Not close enough,” Thor said, breath cooling the saliva on her breasts and causing a new torturous sensation. He moved one of his hands down between her legs, his thumb and forefinger running right along the middle seam of her jeans. His tongue kept up the steady swirling dance around her nipple, teeth occasionally scraping the sides as his hand shifted against her center.

“Oh fuck, stop. Stop!” Darcy cried out, her body turning to the side to get out of Thor’s embrace. Her breath heaved as she lay on her side, Thor still towering above her.

“Darcy?” he asked voice tender and pitched with concern. “Are you alright?”

Darcy turned on her back to gaze up at him and smiled. “I’m okay, I was just going to come if you kept it up and I know you didn’t want me to yet.”

Thor grinned and laid down beside her,  propping up his head with one hand. “Good girl,” he beamed. His other hand traced lazy patterns over her stomach, never quite getting close to her chest or hips.

“How are you standing this?” Darcy asked as she turned on her side and grasped at Thor’s hardened cock through his jeans, her thumb rolling over the small wet patch from the precum he’d already released. Suddenly she remembered his earlier statement that she could ask things of him. “Can I go down on you?” her eyes sparkled with excitement at the possibility and Thor had to admit it was a tempting proposition.

“The wait is worth it for me too,” he said, gently removing her hand from his where they danced at the edge of his pants. “One more to go,” Thor smiled, “Think you can make it?”

“I don’t know if I will last as long this time,” she admitted.

“That’s alright,” Thor replied as his hand went to the button her jeans. “You will let me know before you come. Are you ready?” he asked her even as he pulled at the zipper.

“So ready,” Darcy nodded eagerly, lifting her hips to aid Thor in removing her pants. She lay on the bed nearly naked, body flushed with her hair spread out around her head.

“You’re beautiful,” Thor said before kissing her gently. His hand traveled to cup her center, fingers trailing lightly over the soft cotton fabric of her underwear. Darcy shifted immediately, her hips pushing up against Thor’s hand seeking more friction on her wet folds. “Not yet, Little One. Remember, patience is key,” he whispered as he moved his hand away once more.

Darcy whined at the loss of contact, her hips jerking involuntarily out towards Thor. She took a deep breath and settled herself back on the bed. “Okay. I’ll be good this time, promise,” she smiled.

Thor’s hand trailed up her leg slowly until he finally reached her damp panties. One finger danced lightly over the fabric as Darcy struggled to stay still. He dipped his finger beneath the cotton and grinned at the wetness he felt before he’d even swiped a finger through her slit. “You’re so wet for me,” he smiled as he tugged on her underwear to pull it down her body.

Once she was free from her clothing he shouldered his way between her legs, ducking down to rest with his head at her apex. “Oh, fuck,” Darcy cried out as his tongue darted between her folds. “Gods, yes!” her hips flexed upwards and her hands sought out his head, desperate for more contact.

Thor brought one arm up to rest along her stomach, effectively pinning her down, as his other hand moved to hold her opened for his mouth. His tongue danced along her folds, mouth closing over her inner labia to suck gently before moving to the other side and repeating the action. He sucked and nibbled along her core, tongue licking at her entrance but never quite penetrating her.

“Please, Thor,” Darcy begged as her walls quaked for any kind of contact. “I need you, please,” she moaned. Thor licked back up her wet heat, tongue circling closer and closer to her swollen nub until at last, he latched onto it sucking hard. Darcy jerked hard, groaning as she pushed herself up the bed away from Thor and tucking her knees to her chest. “That was close,” she panted after a moment.

“You’ve been so good for me tonight, Darcy,” Thor praised her as he took off his shirt. “I think it’s time you got your reward.” He stood from the bed and shucked his pants off, smiling at Darcy’s admiring gaze to his hardened cock.

“Yes, please,” she said, licking her lips.

“C’mere,” Thor grabbed one of her ankles and tugged her down the bed until her ass rested on the edge. He wrapped her legs around his waist, lining himself up and surging into her without warning. Darcy grunted as he thrust inside her, her tight walls clinging to him an unspoken plea for him to stay.

“Do not come without my permission, Little One,” he warned as his hand reached up to pinch at her nipples.

“O-Okay,” Darcy moaned. “I’m s-so close.”

Even as she spoke her muscles were spasming around him, legs twitching and hips arching up. “I know,” his breath ghosted over her breast, “Hold out just a little longer for me.” His mouth latched onto her nipple as his hand moved to pinch her other one. Darcy’s hips rolled beneath him as she tightened her legs around his hips.

“Thor, please!”

He shifted his hips, changing the angle of penetration so the head of his cock would rub against the perfect spot far back in her channel. “Okay, Darcy,” he breathed heavily, “Come for me.”

Darcy was amazed at how quickly his words sent her over the edge. There was nothing rubbing against her clit- typically the only thing that would make her come- yet she was writhing beneath Thor, her orgasm coursing through her causing her to see stars. Thor kept up his rhythmic thrusts, pumping through her orgasm even as her walls quaked around him bringing him closer to his own climax.

He slowed a little as her orgasm finished, hands reaching to her back to pull her gently to his chest before lifting her from the bed and turning so he was seated with her straddling him languidly, his cock still throbbing inside her. “Do you think you’ve got another one in you?” Thor asked her as he gathered her hair behind her head.

“Mmmhmmm,” Darcy hummed as she nuzzled into his neck. He could feel her lazy smile against his skin, “Just give me a second here, okay?”

Rather than reply, Thor sank his hand into the hair at the nape of her neck and ran a hand up her backside. Soon the hand at her back was drawing soft moans from her and Thor tightened his grip in her hair. “Ready?” he asked her, certain that he couldn’t hold out much longer himself.

Darcy nodded, the movement of her head tugging against the fingers twisted in her hair. The sudden sensation caused her to gasp and arch her back. It gave Thor the perfect opportunity to reach between them, his fingers coming to rest on either side of his cock as his thumb made gentle circles around her clit.

“Oh, fuck, please!”

Thor could feel her twitching against him, sending him ever closer to climax. He squeezed his fingers in a little tighter, gasping out at the change in pressure while his thumb flicked up and over her swollen nub. “Yes, Little One. Now,” he commanded as his balls tightened and he began to let loose inside her. Darcy’s body danced around him as she shook apart, mouth opened in a silent scream.

When they had finished Thor gently scooted up the bed before rolling her off of him. Darcy sighed at the sudden loss of contact though she was too boneless to move closer towards him. “That was incredible,” Darcy whispered a few moments later as Thor stroked his hand up and down her arm.

He smiled, “I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as I did.” He lay on his back and pulled her closer to him, draping her arm across his chest as she brought her leg up to tangle between his.

“I don’t know that I learned my lesson, though,” Darcy admitted as she bit one side of her lower lip. “You may have to teach me again soon.”

“It would be my absolute pleasure,” Thor grinned. They’d need to get up and shower off soon, both of them had a fine layer of sweat across their bodies, but for the moment they were each content to lay in each other's arms.


	6. No Fail, No Learning

Darcy trudged her way across the floor of the small room they rehearsed their dancing in, not fully awake and definitely not ready for Steve’s chipper greeting.

“Morning, Darcy! I think we can master some of the more advanced steps today, I can feel it!”

Darcy groaned, her muscles still worn out from the workout Thor had given them the previous night. “The only way I’m managing that is if we’re talking about dancing to a funeral dirge, or possibly if there’s an IV of coffee pouring into my veins.”

“Let’s start slow,” Steve ignored her as he plopped down on the ground to begin stretching out. When they’d first started this Darcy had given him a hard time about the stretching but soon she realized how helpful it was even if all they were doing were dancing. Who knew she’d be using so many of her core muscles? “We’ll start with a slower song and step up the tempo as we go. I bet by the end you’ll be dancing circles around me,” he said with a grin, ever the optimist. 

“That’s bullshit and you know it, Rogers.”

“Eh,” Steve shrugged as he leaned into a forward fold, “Bucky kept me up late last night, I’m not in peak condition.” 

“He did, did he?” Darcy asked with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous look on her face.

“I don’t kiss and tell,” was all Steve would say. 

“I think you’ll find you just did,” Darcy laughed as she popped up from the ground and stood in front of Steve. 

“Let’s learn some steps,” Steve smiled as he not-so-subtly changed the subject. 

“Let’s not?” Darcy suggested instead. 

Steve ignored her protest and held out his hand to her, “Starting in 3…2…1” He nodded towards the ceiling and Friday started the pre-approved playlist. Thirty minutes later Darcy was grinning on her way over to the chairs that were on the back wall of the room. She sat down, wincing lightly when the hard chair hit one of the bruises Thor had pinched into her ass the night before. The wince quickly turned to a sly grin as she thought about the night and how wonderful it had felt to be at Thor’s mercy. 

“You okay?” Steve asked as he handed Darcy a bottle of water. “Shouldn’t hurt to sit down, did you pull a muscle or something?” 

Darcy’s cheeks pinked at Steve’s question, “No, didn’t pull a muscle.” 

“So what’s wrong? Do you need me to help you get to the hospital wing?” Steve asked, concern for Darcy overtaking his usual post-workout teasing routine. 

Darcy rolled her eyes, “No, Steve, I don’t need to go to see a doctor. I’m fine, I promise.” 

“Uh-huh,” Steve replied, “You want to try that again? Maybe this time acknowledging I saw the wince from sitting down and the sly come-hither smile that showed up after?” 

Darcy’s head fell to her chest as she fought off an ear-splitting grin, “Oh, you saw that did you?” 

“It’s cute how you think you can keep things from me,” Steve smiled as he sat down in the chair next to Darcy. “So what’s up? How are things with Thor?” When Darcy immediately started blushing at his question Steve continued, “Oh, okay so this definitely has something to do with Thor, huh?” 

“I don’t kiss and tell,” Darcy repeated Steve’s statement from before their practice. 

“Oh, right. Okay. I guess I’ll just go find Thor and ask him why you were wincing during our practice today. I’m sure he won’t be concerned at all.” 

“Ass,” Darcy hissed as she turned to face Steve on the bench. “Fine, okay, but this stays between us.” When Steve nodded in agreement Darcy continued to speak, “Ugh, I don’t even know how to talk about this. Okay, so, first you have to promise me that you will not freak out when I tell you this.” 

Steve considered the request, “Should I be worried that it’s something I’m going to want to get upset about?” 

“Maybe?” Darcy shrugged, “I’m not really sure where things stood with kinky sex back in your day.” 

“Well, why don’t you try me. If I think it’s something I should be concerned about we’ll talk about it before I ‘freak out’ on Thor, okay?” 

“I guess that’s about as good as I’m going to get,” Darcy sighed. “Okay, so last night Thor wanted to teach me a lesson in-” she was about to elaborate but cut herself off just before she could get into the specific details of what Thor had wanted to teach her a lesson for, “ - the bedroom.” 

“Okay?” Steve replied, not entirely sure where the issue was yet. 

“It, uh, maybe involved some pinches to my ass that left some bruises,” Darcy rushed out. “But I was totally okay with it, he wasn’t doing anything I didn’t want to happen so please don’t freak out.” 

“Whoa, whoa,” Steve said with his palms out towards Darcy, “I think the only one freaking out here is you, Darce. You sure you were okay with everything?” Steve asked cautiously. “He didn’t hurt you badly did he?” 

“No!” Darcy exclaimed, “Really pain had like...nothing to do with it. He pinched me when I was trying to push things further than he was ready to take them. I wasn’t expecting it, but I didn’t mind it, really.” 

“Okay,” Steve said simply. 

“Really? That’s it? Just ‘Okay’?” Darcy asked, incredulous. 

Steve turned to look at her, “See, this is what I mean when I say I think you’re the one freaking out. I’m not surprised at all that Thor has some dominant tendencies, Darcy. He was the Prince of Asgard, I’m sure that role came with some amount of leadership responsibility.”

Darcy sighed, “I guess it just took me by surprise is all. It was never something I thought I was into.”

“And now?” Steve probed.

“Let’s just say that I’m opened to the possibility?” Darcy shrugged one shoulder up. 

“That’s acceptable,” Steve smiled.

* * *

“What’s it like being a god?” Darcy asked suddenly as she picked up the sandwich in front of her.

Thor pondered the question as he chewed on his own meal. After a few moments, he took a sip of beer and replied. “Well, it’s not so interesting now that there are so few who pray to the old gods.”

“Well, compare and contrast for me. I want to hear about it.” Sometime in the past week, it had really sunk in that she was dating a god. Maybe, she had thought, she should know a little something about it. She’d had Friday help her compile information on all of the gods, their powers, and how they were related (she was pretty sure she’d never get the hang of all their relations). Still, how many people got to know what it was like first hand? She was not going to squander this opportunity - her anthropologically inclined friends would have her head for it if she did.

“How much knowledge do you have of the old ways?” he asked, trying to gauge how much detail he needed to go into.

“Passable, Friday’s been helping me out lately.”

“Well, it’s always busiest right at the season changes. There used to be multiple large public sacrifices and festivals four times a year along with small familial daily offerings. Now there’s usually only a handful of people on the feast days and just about none on a daily basis. Only the most devout take the time to uphold the traditions anymore.”

“What’s it like when someone makes a sacrifice to you, though? Is sacrifice the same as a Judeo-Christian prayer?” Really, Darcy had more questions than she knew what to do with and pacing them was difficult.

Thor smiled, “I can hear them when they pray to me. It’s like an echo through my mind. If a sacrifice is made it’s amplified. How would Tony say it? The volume is turned to 11? Sacrifices,” Thor sighed as he considered the best way to phrase it. “They always make me stand up and take notice.”

Darcy’s sandwich was long gone and her drink had less than half remaining, she was so riveted by what Thor was telling her. “Do you have any responsibilities when someone prays?”

“It depends,” Thor said as he took a bite of his sandwich. “I don’t  _ have  _ to do anything, but I’d be a fairly dismal god if I chose to ignore my followers. We have a general system in place to make sure things stay fair and no one gets preferential treatment.”

“Yeah,” Darcy nodded, “That makes sense. But what about a sacrifice? Do they get any special treatment?”

Thor nodded, “As I said, they definitely make me take notice. If there’s a sacrifice involved I, at least, am generally more inclined to grant the request being made. I think most of the gods feel the same. Still, the counsel of the gods monitors all blessings that are bestowed so I cannot just automatically accept all sacrifices.”

“Oh, my gods you’re telling me there’s a bureaucracy involved in being a god?” Darcy could remember a few years ago when she would have been hesitant to say something like ‘oh my gods’. Sure, she had met Thor and knew that he was a god, but that knowledge had to fight a fair battle with her Old Fashioned American Upbringing. Natasha had called her out on it, and though she had never been particularly religious, the realization that she was friends with an actual god eventually sunk in and broadened her horizons. It’s not like she believed in the monotheistic concept anyway.

“A little, but there’s always some way around it,” Thor winked at her as he finished his own meal. “Tell me, why the sudden interest in the old ways?”

“Thor, you, my boyfriend, are an actual god. It only makes sense for me to be curious about what all that entails. I mean, what if it meant you had to sleep with a dozen virgins every full moon. I think I’d have a right to know about that.”

He let out a boisterous laugh, “You would be more in line if you were concerned I would have to kill those same virgins every full moon than to think I’d need to copulate with them. Besides, was that a requirement I would see to it that someone else take up my mantle that I did not betray your trust in me.”

Darcy blinked, “You could do that?”

“I  _ would  _ do that,” Thor said. “For you.” He took her hand and pulled her from the booth where she sat, “Thankfully that is not an issue you need to be concerned with. In fact, I hardly think there are any responsibilities inherent in being a god that should trouble you.”

“Do not mistake my questions for concern, I’m just insanely curious,” Darcy laughed as she let him lead her out of the restaurant and back towards the tower. She continued to pepper him with questions on their walk back and by the time she had settled into the corner of her couch she had decided that she could maybe get behind this old Norse religion. Having proof that the gods existed helped, sure, but Darcy’s unwavering faith in Thor really drove it home. He’d yet to let her down and although they hadn’t been dating long, she could say that about their multi-year friendship as well.

* * *

Saturday morning found Thor rising from his empty bed missing Darcy’s warm weight curled against him as it so often was if she spent the night with him. She’d had to cancel their date the previous night when a planning meeting for the upcoming gala ran long. A notification light caught his eye as he looked down at his nightstand and grabbed his phone.

The screen in front of him lit up with a picture of Darcy, hair messy from sleep with lines from her sheets still pressed into her cheeks. There was a steaming mug of coffee in the bottom of the frame and a sleepy grin on her face. “Good morning, handsome. I miss you,” the message read.

Thor was in the middle of composing a reply to her inviting her to the tower for the day when the klaxons went off calling for an emergency assemble. He quickly erased the message he’d been working on and sent off a quick message letting her know he’d be out on a mission and that he’d come to see her when he was finished.

The briefing went by quickly - there was a Hydra cell that had just been found a few hours outside of the city. They laid out a simple plan of attack and everyone was in agreement that this should be a piece of cake. Of course, that meant nothing would go to plan.

Once they were in the air above the Hydra base they could see that they had been massively underprepared for the number of people they would soon be facing. Their intel had let them know to expect around fifty people but there were easily fifty men outside the base, let alone inside the facility.

“Captain,” Thor called out to Steve as Clint maneuvered the quinjet to an empty field not too far away. “I think we had best rethink our strategy here. If we were to-”

Steve cut him off before he could elaborate, “We don’t have time to make a new plan. I think we’re best sticking to the one we’ve got. There are more men, sure, but that shouldn’t hinder us too much.”

It had been many years since Thor was dismissed without so much as letting his opinion be heard and he did not take kindly to it. There was no time to voice his frustration then, the quinjet doors were already opening and the team was readying for the upcoming fight. Thor left his anger behind him as he charged into battle, his focus solely on defeating the enemies before him.

Hours later when the team was all back in the quinjet and regrouping before their journey home the anger met back up with him. He surveyed his friends- Clint’s arm held awkwardly at his side, the blood soaking the arm of Natasha’s suit- and clenched his fist in anger. The plan had not been meant to stand up to the forces they met today and Thor could never be certain but he wanted to believe had Steve stopped to listen to his suggestions that their teammates would still be uninjured.

His anger roiled beneath the surface as he sat quietly through the duration of the plane ride home. There were storms rumbling off in the distance and it did not take a genius to figure out why. The quinjet touched down on the landing pad atop the tower and before Steve could call for a debrief Thor had exited the plane and taken off to the skies in the direction of Darcy’s apartment.

“Let him go, Cap,” Tony said as he walked by. “Next time maybe listen to people when they have a suggestion to make.”

* * *

Darcy was roused from her nap on the couch by a heavy pounding at her door. “Just a minute,” she called out as she wrapped her blanket around her shoulders and shuffled towards the door. The pounding continued as she walked, “Hold your horses, what’s the damn emergency?”

She pulled the door opened just as Thor’s fist was pulling back for another hard knock to her door. “Honey?” she asked as she pulled the blanket tighter around her body. “What’s wrong?”

Thor didn’t respond immediately, instead, he pushed the door further opened and skirted around Darcy into her apartment before closing the door firmly. Once the door was shut and locked Thor moved Darcy up against it, his hands coming to the blanket wrapped around her shoulders to push it off her body. The blanket pooled on the floor as one of his hands cupped the back of her head, tilting her face towards his to meet him in a punishing kiss. His hips pressed her further into the door as his other hand skimmed up the soft skin of her belly and moved quickly towards her breasts.

“You’re lucky you’re not wearing a bra, Little One,” Thor breathed into her neck, “It would not have lasted.”

Darcy moaned into his kiss, body responding to his touch even as her mind struggled to catch up. They’d played games before but never any quite like this. Still, she thought, she had an idea of what was expected of her. “Thor,” she whispered into his ear, “You’ll stop if I need you too?”

“Yes,” he hissed before biting down on her neck, tongue licking over her pulse while she lifted her legs so her hips could circle his. His agreement was all Darcy needed to hear before she gave up all semblance of control and let the weight of her body sink into Thor’s hands. “You’re to do what I command,” Thor growled into her ear. “If you do not you can expect to be punished.” That was all the explanation he could bear to give at the moment, his desire surging to the forefront of his mind making it hard to concentrate on the particulars of the situation.  

“Yes, Thor,” Darcy replied, obediently as she wrapped her legs closer around his waist. As he walked through her apartment his pubic bone shifted against her center but she knew better than to call attention to it at the moment or he’d just take away the delicious sensation. Her t-shirt was ripped from her body as Thor tossed her onto the bed, her panties following closely after. 

“Put your hands around the headboard,” Thor instructed as he crawled up the bed towards her. When each of her hands was wrapped around a metal spindle of the headboard he added, “Keep them there.” His head dove downwards, lips capturing a nipple in their grasp to suck hard until it was swollen enough for his teeth to dance along the sides of it. Darcy couldn’t help but moan loudly as the pleasure/pain of it sent heat right to her core. 

Thor had told Darcy to keep her hands on the headboard before, and it wasn’t the first time he’d asked her to do as he said either, but something seemed different than usual to her and she was having trouble putting her finger on what it was. To be completely fair, between Thor’s mouth on her breasts and his hands roughly pinning her to the mattress she was having a hard time concentrating on anything, let alone detailed analysis of their sex life. Then Thor surged into her without stretching her out first and Darcy immediately knew what was different. 

Thor was really taking control now, using her for what he wanted instead of just teasing her relentlessly to give her a good time. Darcy’s pussy ached so perfectly as it stretched around Thor’s cock. Slick liquid flooded her channel easing the way for Thor as he pumped into her, one hand still pressing hard into her hips. Darcy was positive she’d have bruises there tomorrow - she couldn’t wait to see. 

“Thor, can I-” Darcy began to ask as she shifted her legs at his waist. 

“No,” Thor cut her off before she could get her question out. “Stay still, don’t talk.”

She opened her mouth to reply but cut herself off quickly, nodding her head instead of speaking. She’d wanted to flip over and ride him, let him dig his fingers into her hips and ass as he pulled her up and down his cock. The idea seemed perfect to her, but obviously, Thor had other plans. Darcy didn’t honestly mind, when he’d cut her off she’d felt herself grow wetter still, her pulse jumping through her veins as he gave her more commands. 

She wanted to kiss him so badly that she had to constantly remind herself to keep her hands on the headboard or else. When Thor ducked his head back down to her breasts she was so focused on not arching up into his mouth that she forgot herself and twined her hand into his hair, desperate for more contact on her nipple. 

“I’m sorry!” she gasped as she realized what she’d done and pulled her hand back to the headboard. 

“That’s two,” Thor said as he leaned up and pulled out of her. “You spoke  _ and  _ you moved your hands from the headboard.” Darcy opened her mouth to reply but Thor cut her off again quickly, “Careful, I could make it three for not staying still.”

Instead of replying Darcy whimpered pitifully. She needed him to be touching her but he was just out of her reach and she knew if she moved at all things would just be worse. 

“Let go of the headboard and flip over,” Thor said as he moved towards the end of the bed. “Come here,” he added, pointing to the spot in front of him at the end of the mattress. As soon as Darcy was within arms reach he pulled her to him and flipped her over so she was laying on her stomach. “You can’t seem to keep your hands to yourself so I suppose I will just have to hold them for you,” he said as he reached for her hands, easily holding both her wrists in the grip of one hand. Darcy struggled against it, not enough to truly break free, just enough to know where her limits were. Thor waited until she was still again before continuing. 

“Up,” he commanded, his other hand coming around her hips to pull them into the air. “You’re so gorgeous like this, Little One,” Thor whispered as he placed a kiss to her ass and got to his knees. Darcy lay on the bed supported only by her shoulders with her face pressed awkwardly into the mattress. His hand still gripped her wrist and she knew there was no way she could easily talk like this. She wasn’t the most comfortable, but she was pretty sure she could handle this position for a bit. 

That was until Thor entered her again, hips surging forward as he thrust into her. The force of the movement shoved Darcy forward on the mattress, shoulders scrunching around her neck as they took the brunt of the weight. She sucked in a breath as she tried to focus on the feeling of Thor throbbing inside her but the pain in her shoulders made it impossible for her to feel any pleasure. 

“Stop,” Darcy cried as she turned her head to the side, trying desperately to eye Thor. 

“You can come, Little One,” Thor replied, doubling his pace. 

“No!” Darcy yelled, flattening her hips to the bed as she forced her arms apart and rolled over on the bed. “You were hurting my neck like that, try something else.”

The fire that had been burning in Thor’s eyes since he entered her apartment was quickly dashed, “Are you alright, Darcy? Did I injure you?” 

“I’m fine, that just wasn’t a good position for my neck and shoulders. Can you punish me some other way?” she asked, sitting up and moving closer to him. 

“I’m so sorry, Darcy,” Thor replied. “What were you going to ask me to do earlier? Why don’t we do that instead of a punishment?” 

Darcy didn’t like the guilty look in Thor’s eyes but she could still feel where the press of Thor’s hand had been on her hips and she was thrilled at the idea of his hands pressing into her there again. “Okay. I want to ride you, with your hands grabbing my hips.” 

Thor smirked, “Is that all?” He moved up the bed, turning to lay on his back and helping Darcy to straddle him. “You feel so good, Little One,” he moaned as she sunk down onto him. “Like this?” he asked, hands coming up to grasp at her hips again. 

“Yeah, but harder.” Thor made a feeble attempt at gripping her harder but he wasn’t putting nearly as much pressure on her as he had been using at the beginning. “Harder, like before,” Darcy asked again, though by now she knew the control game they’d been playing was over. When Thor didn’t grab her tighter she didn’t complain, the sex was still amazing even if it wasn’t exactly what she had wanted. She resolved to talk to Thor about it later, certain now that she’d experienced rougher sex that she would want to experience it again.

* * *

Darcy woke the next morning in a tangle of sheets, Thor sleeping soundly beside her with an arm tossed over his eyes to block out the morning light. She stood from the bed, doing her best not to trip as she unwound herself from the sheet, and walked to the floor length mirror that leaned against one wall. There in the dim light from her window, she could make out the purple bruises on either side of her hips where Thor had grabbed her so tightly the night before. She traced her fingers over them lovingly, pressing down on one that looked particularly dark and sucking in a gasp at the small thrill of pain from the pressure.  

“I’m so sorry, Darcy,” Thor spoke from the bed. She glanced at him in the mirror, shirtless and propping himself up on one arm in the bed. “It was not my intention to hurt you, last night.”

“Don’t apologize,” Darcy said as she turned to join him again in the bed. “I enjoyed it, mostly.”

“But I misunderstood you when you asked me to stop and I caused you pain that did not lead to pleasure, like these marks.” Thor’s hands ghosted over the bruises Darcy had just been admiring. 

“It’s true,” Darcy agreed. “But there are ways around that for the future.” She grinned. After her conversation with Steve, she’d begun thinking about the different facets of their relationship and things she’d like to try to add in. She was unashamed to admit that she wanted Thor to try and control her more in their sex life and was prepared to argue for it.

Thor inhaled sharply, “I don’t know that that’s smart, Little One.”

“Why is that?”

“I don’t want to hurt you again. On Asgard, with Asgardians, it’s not a concern that we have to worry about. I worry that I will get carried away and not realize I am harming you until it is too late,” Thor admitted earnestly as he stroked the hair from Darcy’s face. “I could not bear it if I were to cause you grave harm. Last night was hard enough.”

“Thor,” Darcy began as she leaned into his touch, “What if there was a way around that? I mean, I’m new to this whole scene but I’m pretty sure safewords are a thing for a reason.”

“Safe…words?” Thor asked.

“Safewords,” Darcy replied. “It’s a word that you wouldn’t normally say during sex that tells your partner they should stop what they’re doing.”

“So you could still tell me to stop when you were about to finish, but I would be certain it wasn’t because you were in pain?” 

“Exactly,” Darcy smiled. 

“Is there more to this safeword thing?” Thor asked, curiously. 

“I’m not sure what you mean by that, but there are entire communities online devoted to the rules and aspects of Dominant/subordinate play so I’m sure we could find more out.”

“Can we?” Thor asked eagerly, the realization that he could continue to play these games with Darcy without the concern of hurting her lightening his mood considerably. 

“I think we should,” Darcy replied. “After we go back to sleep, though. It was kind of a long night,” she winked as she settled herself back down in Thor’s arms. 


	7. No Work, No Leisure

Darcy woke up a few hours later still wrapped in Thor’s embrace. He was snoring softly with one arm draped over her waist. She considered trying to go back to sleep but her mind was already racing so it seemed an unlikely prospect. Carefully she turned onto her back with Thor’s arm still pinning her to the bed. She reached out to the nightstand for her phone and scooted up to lean against the headboard, smiling when Thor adjusted his arm to wrap around her leg and moved his head to her thigh.  Ignoring the notifications on her phone, she opened the web browser and began to search for information on safewords. After reading a few different articles on what made the best ones (there was one that suggested every safe word be the name of a planet and eleven letters long, but as much Doctor Who as Darcy watched she wasn’t prepared to rattle off anything that complicated during sex), she found some good blogs about the lifestyle in general, Darcy felt more prepared to have a detailed conversation with Thor. Which was good because his grip on her leg was tightening as he turned his head up to gaze at her. 

“Good morning, Little One,” he smiled. “What has you so awake?” His hand was snaking up to the crevice between her legs even as he asked her. Darcy hadn’t realized it until Thor’s hand brushed against her slit, but her research had gotten her slightly wet. 

“Oh,” Darcy’s cheeks blushed pink, “I was doing some research into safewords.” She pulled her lower lip into her mouth. “I guess it got me kinda hot.”

“Tell me what you learned,” Thor said as his finger tracing lightly at the opening between her legs, the tip of it just grazing the inside of her pussy. 

Darcy struggled to hold in a moan at his touch, “Raxicoricofalipotorius would be a terrible safeword,” she sputtered out. 

Thor laughed as he added another finger to his teasing exploration of her outer lips. “I should think so, the Slitheen are a rotten species. What else?”

She was having trouble concentrating on anything other than Thor’s hand, but Darcy screwed up her eyes to think about the blogs she had been reading. “Some people use the colors red, yellow, and green to signify their level of consent. So,” Darcy sighed as Thor’s fingers dipped deeper into her, just grazing her entrance. “Green would mean totally okay, yellow meaning slow down or explain more, and red would be stop everything immediately.”

“Mmm, that makes sense,” Thor agreed. “Tell me, Little One, what color are you right now?” 

“Green,” Darcy said eagerly. Thor’s fingers plunged into her as his thumb came up to nudge at the side of her clit. “Oh my gods, so green, Thor. That feels so good,” she moaned.

“Good,” Thor smiled as he removed his fingers and sat up in the bed. “What else did you learn?” Darcy was still recovering from the sudden lack of touch, she couldn’t think of an adequate response. Thor gave her a moment to collect her thoughts before probing her again, “Darcy. What did you learn?”

She shook her head to clear it, “I don’t know that I really  _ learned  _ anything other than a vocab word or two.” At Thor’s raised eyebrow she added, “When people are playing like that they often call it a scene.”

“Well, that’s not it. Something turned you on, what was it?”

Darcy smiled, the blush returning to her cheeks, “I was looking on some blogs and there were pictures. I guess they got to me.”

“Tell me about them,” Thor urged her on, his finger still wet from her cunt trailing down her shoulder to circle her nipple.

Darcy gasped, her nipple rising to a peak instantly, “There was a-a short moving picture,” she stumbled over the explanation of a gif, “A woman tied down with her nipples being played with.”

“Oh?” Thor asked, his fingers tightening around her pebbled bud. “Was that all? She was tied down and her nipples were played with?” He continued his teasing swirl around her nipple with an occasional pinch. 

“No,” Darcy moaned. “She had clamps on her nipples,” her voice was breathy, hips rising in search of friction, “Her partner was licking and sucking them.”

Thor’s fingers pinched her nipple again, twisting slightly as he grinned, “Is that what you want, Little One? More pain with your pleasure?” Darcy let out a low, guttural groan at the sensation. “Keep your hands on the headboard for me,” he murmured as he switched his hand to the other breast so he could take her nipple in his mouth. 

Darcy’s hands shot to the headboard, dizzy at the realization that Thor was going to do his best to recreate the gif for her. She lost herself in the sensation of Thor’s hands and mouth on her breast, teeth grazing the stiff peaks just hard enough to send sparks of desire roaring through her body. Soon she found her hands loosening their grasp on the headboard, fingers itching to be tangled in Thor’s hair. She took a deep breath and tried to center herself, keeping some of her focus on her hands instead of the things Thor was doing to her breasts. It did not take long for her to lose her focus again, only this time she did not catch herself in time. 

“I’m sorry,” Darcy gasped as her fingers dug into the hair at the nape of Thor’s neck. 

“Do not be sorry, Little One,” Thor said as he leaned back and got off the bed, “You told me you wanted to be tied and neglected to tie you.” He smiled at the soft whimper Darcy made at being left alone, “We do not have any supplies readily available, so I will just have to improvise.” He stalked to Darcy’s dresser, opening the top drawer and pulling out a pair of her tights. “These should do nicely,” he grinned as he walked back to the bed. 

Darcy repositioned her hands around the slats of the headboard without being asked and preened at Thor’s whispered, “Good girl.” He wrapped one leg of the tights around each of her wrists, securing them to the headboard with a knot. She tested the binds, twisting her wrists in the soft, stretchy fabric and smiling when she realized she wouldn’t be able to get out of them easily. 

Thor moved back to his position hovering above her breasts, his mouth latching onto her still swollen nipple eagerly. Darcy’s body jerked at the sudden sensation and she thrilled at the realization that she would not have to focus any energy on what her hands were doing when they were tied like this. Thor continued to play with her breasts as she surrendered herself to the heady feeling of being worshipped by a god. 

“Do you think you can come from this?” Thor asked after an indeterminate amount of time, his cool breath teasing at her wet nipples.

Darcy heard his question but found it hard to work her way up to speak. “No,” she finally was able to force out, “Need more.”

“Don’t wait for permission to finish,” Thor instructed as one of his hands lowered to the slick, swollen bud between her legs. “I just want to see you come for me,” he urged before tugging at her nipple with his teeth.

Darcy moaned as her hips lifted into his touch, her hands tugging at the restraints. Moments later Darcy was shaking apart underneath Thor’s fingers, back arching up as he continued to suck on her nipple and circle her clit. Her body jerked as the sensation became too much, “Thor, too much,” she gasped, rolling to her side when Thor moved away from her body. 

She lay on the bed in a daze, moments passing before realizing Thor was laying behind her. His hand was rubbing soothing lines up her side, his cock hard and leaking pressed into her back. She arched her back, pushing her hips into him and grinning at the noise he made.

“Turn over for me,” he said with a light tap to her ass. Darcy was glad for the elasticity of the tights as she turned over, the fabric tightening just slightly while she settled on her arms and knees. “You’re so beautiful like this,” Thor said before pressing a kiss to her ass. 

There was a dip in pressure behind her as Thor moved closer and then before Darcy could brace herself he was thrusting into her. “Fuck,” Darcy cried out as her body surged forward. 

“I believe that is what I’m doing, Little One,” Thor replied and she could hear the smirk in it. He paused while Darcy adjusted to the stretch of him and got herself ready for the next thrust. “Ready?” Thor asked, one hand gently caressing her ass as the other gripped her hip tightly. 

“Gods yes, move!”

Thor set a punishing pace, getting lost in the warm, wet pull of Darcy’s cunt while her ass bounced against him. Before long he could feel her walls trembling around him, her second orgasm beckoning his own. He wrapped a hand around her waist and nudged at her clit as he surged into her, their cries reaching a crescendo at the same time. 

Afterward, Thor untied the tights from the headboard and massaged Darcy’s arms out before tucking her into his side. She kicked at the covers until she could get them over both of them and drifted lazily to sleep. 

* * *

The light streaming in through Darcy’s windows had shifted from the soft morning light to the bright light of a sunny afternoon before she and Thor decided to get out of her bed. 

“I should probably go to the tower and make sure there’s not a press release or anything that needs to be worked out after the mission yesterday,” Darcy said as she stood up and stretched.  Thor’s eyes lingered over her breasts as her arms reached high above her head. “I can take you,” he smiled as she dropped her arms and crossed to her dresser. “We can get some food and then fly back to Manhattan?”

Darcy nodded her agreement as she pulled on a pair of jeans and a loose shirt, “Sure, I’ve always wanted to try traveling via hammer. Let’s go?” Thor had already shrugged into the single change of clothes he kept at Darcy’s place, his battle uniform not appropriate for a casual lunch. 

As they sat across from each other in the booth Darcy let her gaze wander around the restaurant, enjoying the act of people watching while Thor recounted a story from his time on Asgard. Her eyes lingered over a familiar-looking haircut a few booths behind Thor but something he was telling her dragged her attention back to him. 

“Really? Do tell me more,” she prodded with a grin. 

Thor grinned back, “Happily,” he said, voice low and husky. “When on Asgard I spent much time with the Lady Warrior, Sif, who shared a number of my interests.”

“Which interests, Big Guy?” Darcy asked, her top teeth coming down to nibble seductively.

Thor considered his situation for a minute before responding. “Are you certain you’re okay with hearing about me with another woman?” Thor asked.

Darcy’s eye lit up at his question, “Honey, you’re how much older than me? Also, you were with Jane for how long?” Thor made a face at Darcy’s mention of Jane, never happy when she brought up his time with her friend, “No, look I’m not bringing her up for anything other than to say I’m already aware that you had a sex life before we started dating. It would be absolutely ridiculous of me to expect you to have been completely virginal during your time on Asgard.”

Thor nodded, “I suppose that is true. Still, I do not wish to cause you any discomfort.”

“Hey,” Darcy smiled, “My safe word is red. I know how to use it.” Darcy knew it wasn’t strictly what the safe word was for, but she figured it was a good reminder to Thor of how much she trusted him and would do in a pinch if she really did find herself uncomfortable with their conversation. 

The waitress stopped by to get their order causing a brief pause in the conversation. When she left Darcy wasn’t sure if Thor would continue the conversation without prompting. She was saved from wondering when he spoke up as soon as the waitress was out of earshot. “Sif enjoyed the thrill of potentially being caught, knowing we were doing something we probably should not have been doing.” The grin on Thor’s face sent shock waves of pleasure around Darcy’s body as she remembered the last time she’d seen that grin as he thrust into her from above. 

“Like what?” Darcy probed. 

Thor sighed happily, his eyes lighting up with amusement as he thought back to his times with Sif. “There was this altar,” Thor began, a soft smile on his lips, “A room for worship that was used almost daily, opened to all residents of Asgard. Sif asked me to meet her there one afternoon and when I arrived I found her naked and waiting for me up on the dais.”

Darcy pressed her lips together, already turned on and getting wetter just imagining the scene Thor had set. “What did you do?” 

“I shut the door and got on my knees in front of her, made sure I had appropriately worshipped her pussy before I’d let her get up to take care of me,” the grin on Thor’s face told Darcy all she needed to know about how much Thor had enjoyed that particular occasion. 

“Did anyone walk in?” she asked eagerly, not sure what she wanted the answer to be. 

“No,” Thor said, “Though a few people walked passed the door and I’m certain the sounds Sif was making could be heard through the door, if not into the courtyard beyond it.”

“Oh,” Darcy replied, her mouth making a tight circle as she squeezed her thighs together, seeking any pressure she could find against her wet center. She’d never expected to be so turned on at the idea of someone watching her and Thor, but his story had her dizzy with desire. From the look on his face, Darcy could tell Thor felt the same. She glanced around the restaurant again quickly before standing up, leaning seductively over the table and taking Thor’s lips with her own. 

The kiss was just as electric as their first had been, the passion between them heating up quickly at the knowledge that everyone in the building could see Darcy’s tongue plunging into Thor’s mouth. There was a cough from a patron somewhere behind Darcy and she reluctantly pulled back from Thor. Before she could sit back down though, the same familiar haircut from before caught her eye, only this time she made eye contact with the haircuts owner. 

Her face paled automatically as she looked into Ben’s cold eyes and sat down, hard, on the booth bench. She ducked her head, hiding her face behind the curtain of hair and hoping that Thor would ascribe the sudden change in her heart rate to their kiss and not to anxiety. What was Ben doing here? How could she be certain he left her and Thor alone?

When she looked up at Thor again she saw Ben walking towards them and was overjoyed when Thor began speaking to her, “I didn’t know you would be so enthusiastic about such matters,” he grinned. 

Darcy smiled uneasily, keeping her eyes on Thor as she tracked Ben’s movement to the door through her periphery, “Well, I thought I’d try it.”

“And?” Thor prodded. 

Darcy let out a sigh of relief as the door closed behind Ben. “I quite enjoyed it,” she smiled, “More than I expected to.”

“That is very good to know,” Thor smiled. "Though,” he countered quickly, “I’m curious to know why you are so jumpy suddenly?”

Darcy bit her lip, thankful that Ben was out of the restaurant so there wouldn’t be a scene. “Ben was here,” Darcy whispered quietly. “He just left.”

Thor glanced around the restaurant and out of the window, stopping only when he was satisfied that there was no one waiting around for when they left the restaurant. “Do you know if he was here before or after we were?” he asked, clearly on high alert now.

“No, I wasn’t paying attention to who was coming and going,” Darcy admitted. “I only recognized him when I leaned over to kiss you.” Darcy marveled at how much safer she felt now that Thor was aware that Ben had been around her. She contemplated telling him about the few times she thought she saw him months ago but decided against it, wanting to focus on the good things of the night instead. 

“Would you be more comfortable if we went back to the tower?” Thor asked, still not quite relaxed. 

“No,” Darcy smiled as she reached across the table to take his hand. “I’d rather stay here with you. I was quite enjoying our conversation before we were interrupted. I definitely think we should add exhibitionism to the list of things we should try out.”

Thor smiled, “Okay."

“What about some ground rules?” Darcy asked, “Things we should both be aware of or sets of rules to always follow when we’re playing this way?”

Thor nodded, “That would be good, Little One,” he smiled at the glint of arousal he saw in Darcy’s eyes at the nickname. Thor paused as he thought over their conversation so far, “You’ve done so well up to now calling me Thor when we’re in bed. I don’t expect that to stop now." 

Darcy giggled, “I thought most doms wanted to be called Sir or Master."

"Lesser mortals, sure, but I have no insecurity over my place in your life. I am a god, and whereas I am not  _ your  _ god, my name is still honorarium enough for me."

"Okay, Hon-Bi-I mean, Thor, no nicknames in bed,” Darcy faltered before smiling.

"Good girl,” Thor whispered as he leaned in to kiss her. 

Darcy felt a shiver up her spine at the praise Thor had given her, “Okay so more of that? Yes?”

A slow smile broke out across Thor’s face, “I knew you liked praise, but I will have to remember just how much.”

“Yeah,” Darcy sighed wistfully before sitting up straighter in the booth. “I think we should have a no secrets rule. I mean, I know that we’re in a relationship and that means we should be telling each other things anyway, but if we’re going ahead and making some formal rules…” Darcy’s thoughts trailed off as she considered how her past relationships may have gone differently had they laid out some ground rules the way she and Thor were. She shook her head quickly, dispelling the thoughts before she could get too wound up in them; it didn’t matter, she was happier with Thor than she ever had been. “Let’s agree not to lie or keep secrets from each other?” 

Thor shared an easy grin, “That is no problem for me, I have yet to have a reason to keep anything from you.”

“Okay,” Darcy grinned as the waitress set their food down in front of them, “Your turn to make a rule.”

There were a few moments of silence as they both ate, Thor contemplating what his rule would be and Darcy waiting eagerly to hear it. “I want your obedience,” Thor spoke plainly. “Should I ask you to do something, I want you to obey me.”

“Okay, but like, what if I’m not sure about what you want me to do? Or like, if you tell me to do something I’m uncomfortable with?”

“You have your safewords, do you not? I would expect you to use the ‘yellow’ safeword to indicate you need us to stop so we can discuss something,” Thor paused to sip at his drink. “And if you do safeword, I don’t want it to be so you can argue with me about something. Concerns, questions, and being uncomfortable are fine but arguing semantics with me while we are doing this is not.” As he spoke, Thor’s voice deepened and took on a more authoritative quality that Darcy had only heard a few times before. She thrilled at the heat the tone sent through her veins, her pulse quickening just at the thought of what he was saying. 

“Yes, Thor,” Darcy said in acknowledgment before continuing to eat. “Hey, real quick,” Darcy’s head shot up from her plate as a thought occurred to her, “You aren’t going to try and command me to do something while we’re hanging out with other people, right? We’re just talking about in private?”

“There may come a time when I wish you to do something for me while we’re in the company of others, yes, but I will be sure to give you ample warning before I spring something like that on you,” Thor replied with ease. 

“Okay, I can live with that. What if I disobey you, though? What happens then?” Darcy had meant to come up with her own rule to suggest to Thor but she couldn’t stop thinking about his first rule and the repercussions of it. 

“Punishment,” Thor replied as though it was simple. 

“Right,” Darcy smiled, “But what kinds?” She crossed her legs under the table, tightening her thighs as she felt a gush of wetness seep into her underwear at the thought of being at Thor’s mercy. 

Thor considered her question for a moment before responding, “I think we’ll have to determine the best punishments for you as we go along, but I daresay we’ll start with spanking and orgasm denial.” Thor grinned as a thought occurred to him, “Which reminds me, I don’t want you to come without my permission.” Darcy sucked in a breath as she remembered how good it had been to wait for Thor’s permission to come previously. “Ever,” Thor added with a gleam in his eye. 

“You mean I can’t-”

“No,” Thor said with a tone of finality. The waitress came by to drop off their check and Thor placed a few bills down on the table. “We should get back to the tower,” and just as quickly as his voice had changed before it was back to his normal conversational tone. 

“But by my count, I still have two rules to give you,” Darcy countered. 

“When did this become tit for tat?” Thor teased, one eyebrow raised as he got up from the booth. “Very well,” he added, “You can give me your rules the next time we are together.”

Darcy was secretly thankful, she hadn’t thought of what her next rules would be, too consumed with thoughts about what Thor had been talking about. “So, flying?” Darcy grinned as they turned a corner and maneuvered out of the crowd of people. 

“Yes,” Thor turned to face her, “Put your arms around me and hold on tight.” 

* * *

Darcy sat on her office couch with her laptop in front of her and her phone in her hand meticulously typing out the details from her call logs when her phone buzzed. Again. It had been almost non-stop all day long, and each call was the same. She calmly entered a new line in the spreadsheet she was working on, noted the time of the call and that there was no voice mail left.

Minutes passed by in blissful silence while Darcy stared at the data in front of her. Ben had called her twelve times today already, each one carefully documented on the spreadsheet she had created to keep a record of how often he was harassing her. She wasn’t sure if seeing her with Thor had increased his efforts or it was just that today would have been their anniversary, but she was growing more frustrated by the minute. Her phone buzzed in her hand once more and before she even looked at it she launched it across the room, satisfied when it made contact with the wall.

She scrolled through the spreadsheet, she hadn’t looked at it in a long time. Other than to note a new text message or call, she never really paid attention to the data she was collating on it. There were over 100 data points on her tab alone. It was exhausting to look at and think about. She was curious, Jane had said she had made some updates to her own tab, so she clicked over to it and was infuriated by what she saw. Not only had Ben been harassing Darcy more frequently, but he had also stepped up how often he bothered her friend too.

Darcy couldn’t shake the feeling of helplessness that came over her. She would never be able to get away from him. Every time she thought he had finally given up he’d reach back out. Now he was even following her around the city. She’d thought she’d seen him a few months ago but had dismissed it when she couldn’t get a good look, but now she wondered how long he’d been trailing her around. 

As she looked over the history she saw the gaps in time when he would not reach out for a few months, easing her into a false sense of security before a sudden onslaught of calls and messages. Had he been following her then when she thought he’d moved on? She put the laptop down on the floor and pulled her legs to her chest, burying her face in her knees as she let out a sob.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there crying, just that eventually the warm weight of Thor’s large hand was on her back rubbing soothing circles. “Come here, Little One,” he said gently as he pulled her into his lap. “Tell me what troubles you.”

Darcy was grateful to have Thor here with her but the reminder that Ben wouldn’t have even bothered to ask how she was sent a fresh wave of tears down her face. How could she have stayed with someone so terrible for so long? “Ben won’t stop calling me,” she stammered as she gestured towards her laptop with her chin. “If we had stayed together it would have been our fourth anniversary today. I guess he’s just feeling nostalgic or something,” Darcy let out on a sob. 

Thor pulled her in closer to his embrace, “Nostalgia or not, that is no reason to ceaselessly call you. Where is your phone now?”

“Thor, no. Please don’t try to talk to him,” Darcy looked up at him with watery eyes.

“Words are clearly not enough for this boy. No, I do not wish to speak with him, I was going to turn your phone off for you,” he said as he cupped her cheek, thumb wiping away tears.

“Oh,” Darcy let out a shuddering breath. “I threw it across the room the last time he called. It’s over there somewhere,” she gestured towards the opposite wall.

A few moments passed as Darcy calmed down, her cries quieting to nothing before Thor spoke again. “Darcy, I would have you speak to one of Tony Stark’s lawyers about having this boy taken care of. I do not wish to find you in such a state again,” he said seriously as he tilted her face up so he could look in her eyes.

“Oh, Thor. I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think about what this must have been like for you, to find me on the couch like that! How did you even get in here, anyway?”

“I was knocking at your door but Friday alerted me to your distress and let me in,” Thor explained as he wiped away the last of the tears from Darcy’s cheeks.

“Thank you, Friday,” Darcy called out towards the ceiling. She turned her attention back to Thor, “I have to tell you something and I don’t think you’re going to be happy about it.” She took a deep breath as she steeled herself to let Thor know that Ben had been stalking her for who knew how long. 

“There is nothing you could say, Little One, that would cause me to be upset with you.” His voice was reassuring as he continued to rub slow circles on her back. 

“It’s not me I think you’ll be upset with,” Darcy replied cryptically before taking a deep breath. “A few months ago I thought I saw Ben in the bodega across from my apartment, but I wasn’t able to get a good enough look to confirm it was him. I saw the same person again a few days later but still wasn’t able to get close enough to confirm.” 

“Darcy, if you’re saying you saw him before and he was at the restaurant the other night…I think Ben is stalking you,” Thor stated, his hands stilling on her back as his face hardened in anger. Darcy shuffled off of his lap so she could look him in the eye.

“I know,” a beat of silence passed before Darcy spoke again. “I’m scared,” Darcy shuddered.

Thor’s hands clenched into fists in his lap, anger clear and present on his face. Darcy continued to speak hoping that her next admission would calm him some. 

“I’ve been compiling a list of all the times he’s reached out to me and to Jane. I’ve had it for a while, I just wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it until I realized he was here in New York. I am planning on taking it into court with me as evidence towards an order of protection. If it were granted it would mean he couldn’t contact me without legal consequences.”

“I am glad to hear that you have been looking into this, but I would still have you talk to one of Tony’s lawyers. He assures me that your legal fees would be taken care of if that is something you are concerned with.”

“Thor, did you really talk to Tony about this?” Darcy asked incredulously. Thor looked a little bashful so she couldn’t be too upset with him. “It’s not necessary to have a lawyer for an order of protection, but I will talk to one to make sure there’s nothing better I can do before I go to court, okay?”

Thor nodded before leaning down to kiss her, cradling her face in his hands. When they broke apart a few moments later, Darcy smiled, “Not that I’m complaining about you being here, but was there something you wanted?”

“To ask you to dinner,” Thor smiled. “Why don’t you get ready to go out. I would like to take you somewhere to take your mind off of things.”

“Okay,” Darcy replied. “But I have to tell you that I haven’t had a chance to think about my rules for you yet. I don’t want you to be expecting them.”

Thor rubbed at her cheek before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “Do not worry about that tonight, Little One. We have time.”

“Thanks,” Darcy smiled, “Do you mind if I hop in the shower first? I feel kind of gross right now,” she shrugged out of his arms to stand.

“You are never gross, Darcy, but please take the time you need. Would you like to come to my quarters? The bathroom is surely nicer than the communal one on this floor.”

Darcy grinned, “That would be great, actually. I think I have a change of clothes at your place from the other weekend.” She gathered her things from her office, picking up her laptop and shoving it and her phone into a tote bag before following Thor out of the office and to his apartment.

As soon as the door to the bathroom shut Thor picked up the laptop from where it had been deposited on the floor and opened it, relieved to see that it was unlocked and still opened to the spreadsheet. He began scrolling through the spreadsheet and the more he saw the more infuriated he became. Darcy had meticulously noted each date and time that Ben had reached out to her, including details such as what the messages said. None of them were threatening on the face of it, but when put all together it was clear to see that he was refusing to let her get on with her life.

He set the machine down on her coffee table, closing the lid before bending down and picking up the cell phone from the bag. The screen was cracked from its impact with the wall, but there were already another three missed calls. Thor understood Darcy’s impulse to throw the small thing across the empty space but he held back and powered it down instead.

“Friday,” he called as he walked back to her couch, “Can you have Tony send Darcy contact information for his lawyer that we talked about?” He had been content to let her handle things until then. Now that he knew the details of what she was going through he refused to sit by and let it happen. He was lucky he was able to withhold his rage so well this time but he could not guarantee it would sit idly by if he came across Darcy in a similar state again.

“Certainly,” the AI replied. “Anything else?”

“No, that’s all, thank you.” He’d make sure Darcy got the information and reached out to the lawyer tomorrow. The rest of the night was for focusing on Darcy and her happiness, something Thor was quite fond of doing. Particularly when it involved the happy cries she made with her legs around his neck. There would be time for that later, but for now, he considered what the best option for dinner was.

Eventually, he decided on the diner Darcy had taken him to when he’d first arrived at the tower. It was one of her favorite places and he loved seeing the look of delight on her face as she admired the cases upon cases of cakes. When they got back he figured they’d watch the movie she’d been mentioning constantly lately, the sure sign that she wanted him to see something with her. “Friday, we do have access to  _ The Princess Bride _ , do we not?” he asked, checking to be sure his plan would work out before he got too comfortable with it.

“We do. Would you like to watch it?”

“Later,” Thor said, “Can you have it queued for when the Lady Darcy and I return from supper?”

“Will do, Sir.” Just as the AI confirmed his request he heard the water in the shower shut off and got up from the couch. He opened the door to the bathroom and grabbed a towel as Darcy stepped out of the shower.

“Feeling better?” he asked as he wrapped the towel around her and began to pat her dry.

“Much, thanks,” she smiled up at him. “Where are we going for dinner?” she asked, reaching out to grab at her hair towel and twist it up.

“I was thinking of the diner?” Thor suggested, bending down to dry off her legs. “And then maybe we could watch  _ The Princess Bride _ ? I have already checked with Friday and it is available to us.”

“How did I get so lucky?” Darcy asked as she stepped away to begin dressing.

“That’s a question for the norns, but I daresay I do not mind.”


	8. No Rain, No Harvest

“Okay, so I don’t know if these are strictly rules,” Darcy grinned as she took Thor’s hand, “But I’m really not into being humiliated in any way. Or bodily functions that traditionally happen in a toilet. I mean, some people juggle geese and all but it’s just not me.” She took a long sip of her coffee as they strolled around the park's sidewalk, “Darcy rule number 2 is that there’s nothing that involves number 2, or number 1 for that matter. I’m tacking on the humiliation thing here because anything involving those would be humiliating for me.”  

“Okay,” Thor grinned easily, not having any problems agreeing to her rule. “I’d much rather praise you than put you down anyway. But Darcy?” he asked as he slowed his pace so he could look at her. “Calm down, I promise you nothing you can say is going to upset me.”

Darcy took a deep breath and kept walking, “I know, but I’ve never been great at talking about this stuff.” She waited a few moments before speaking again, making sure she was calmer this time so that her next statement did not come out all in one rush. “I really, really liked seeing marks from your hands on my skin. It made me feel more like I was yours. So, I guess just…more of that?”

“You should never doubt you are mine, Little One. No matter how glad it makes me to hear you like to be marked as mine.”

“Okay, so we’re all caught up in the rules department now. Did you have any others you wanted to add?”

“None that I can think of now, but I think over time we may want to revisit the list of rules we have,” Thor replied. 

“A State of the Kinkdom, as it were. I like it,” Darcy smiled. “And because I’m nothing if not thorough, we’re both agreeing that there will be no nicknames in the bedroom, no secrets or lies between us, obedience on my part with a safe word caveat, punishments should they be warranted, no humiliation, and more marking up Darcy.”

Thor broke into an easy grin, “I think that sums it up nicely. Yes, I agree.”

“Me too,” Darcy smiled. 

* * *

Darcy sat in the ostentatious lobby of the lawyer that Tony had put her in contact with, legs bouncing non-stop with her anxiety about the upcoming meeting, and her bag clutched in her lap. Inside one of the pockets was a flash drive that held the spreadsheet she and Jane had been maintaining for the past year, all of her collected evidence against Ben.

“Miss Lewis?” a receptionist called, “Mr. Rollins will see you now.”

Darcy followed the petite woman into a large office. She wished she’d taken Thor up on his offer to accompany her, but she had been confident she would not need his support. Now that she was here she realized she didn’t need his support at all, but it sure would have been nice to have him by her side anyway.

“Hello, Mr. Rollins,” Darcy greeted the balding man as she crossed the room to stand in front of his desk. “I really appreciate you seeing me about this. I know orders of protection are probably well below what you typically handle.”

“No worries, Miss Lewis,” the man said as he offered her his hand to shake. “Tony tells me that this case is just as important to him as any of the others he would bring to me. Please,” he said as he took his seat and crossed his arms over his chest, “Tell me what the problem is.”

Darcy took a deep breath before sitting down across from him and telling her tale. At the end of it, she pulled out the flash drive and passed it across the desk, “Here are all the records I’ve kept with the phone calls and texts to myself and my friend. There’s another sheet,” Darcy’s voice grew shaky as she remembered adding the new page to the spreadsheet, “A few months ago I thought I saw him a few times but dismissed it when I couldn’t confirm it was him. A few days ago I was on a date with my boyfriend and I caught him watching us. As soon as I made eye contact with him he got up and left the restaurant.” She took a deep breath before continuing, “I was hoping that having it all documented out might help my case?”

“Oh, certainly,” the lawyer said as he took the flash drive from her hands. “I’ll review this document and get some paperwork drawn up. Once that’s been done my assistant will call you to set up an appointment to go over it. Then everything will be in order and we can make a court date.”

“You’ll be going with me?” Darcy asked, “I know lawyers aren’t really necessary.”

“On the contrary, Miss Lewis. There are a few judges in the family circuit that may need a little pushing to see things our way.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Darcy exclaimed. “I would have thought this would be a pretty cut and dry case of harassment.”

“You would think so, but there’s no telling who we’ll get to review your case and I’d rather be safe than sorry. In the meantime, if you do catch him following you again go ahead and make a police report so that we have it on record with the authorities.”

“Okay,” Darcy said as she rose from her seat, shuffling her things around to hide the panic on her face at the idea of Ben following her again. “Thank you so much. I really do appreciate your help.”

“It’s no trouble, Miss Lewis. I’ll have my assistant reach out to you with more specifics for our meeting. Until then, have a good day.” Darcy smiled as she let herself out of the office and onto the street, more confident in her decision to take Ben to court than she had felt since she made it, then stopped short when she saw Thor waiting for her outside the building. 

“I thought I told you not to come?” she asked, though it was clear that she was far from upset to see him. 

“And I told you I’d be here for you whenever you need me,” Thor countered as he placed his arm over her shoulder. “You not wanting me to be with you during the meeting is fine, but I suspected you’d be a little shaken afterward.” He reached behind him to pull out a sprig of delphinium flowers, the blue blossoms clustering near the top of the stem dripping with color. 

“Oh, Thor,” Darcy smiled, “They’re beautiful.” She held the single stem in front of her before wrapping her own arm around Thor’s waist. 

“They are meant to inspire confidence; you should know how proud I am of you for going to see the lawyer today. I know it was not easy.”

Darcy leaned into Thor’s side, “Well, Mr. Rollins seemed to know what he was doing. He says he’ll come to court with me to make sure the judge sees reason, so I think the odds are in our favor.” She stayed quiet for a moment as she considered the flowers, lifting the stem to her nose to sniff them. “Thank you for coming here, Thor. I know I said I would be fine, and I was, but it’s nice to have you to walk home with.” Thor pulled her closer to his chest, pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and continued to walk slowly towards the tower. 

* * *

Darcy’s phone buzzed on her desk, the short pattern that denoted a text message pulling her attention away from the gala prep work she’d been doing for hours.

“I’ll see you this evening for dinner?” Thor had texted her, a daily formality in their relationship. It was fairly normal for Darcy to leave work and meet Thor for dinner, either in his rooms or in the lobby for an evening out. Tonight, however, Darcy had other plans.

She and Steve had been working on her physical fitness regularly, but her evenings had been so filled with Thor that they still hadn’t worked on learning any new dances since the last major event. Steve had waited patiently for her outside the locker room after their last workout and confronted her about it, she was the one who had requested the lindy hop after all.

“No can do, I’ve got dance practice with Steve this evening, but maybe I can come by after?” Darcy shot back before turning back to her work. Seating arrangements for 200 politicians and figureheads was not easy. She had barely had a chance to work out the puzzle of how far apart to place the mayor of New York, his wife, and his mistress when her phone buzzed again.

“I did not realize you still danced with Steve.”

Darcy sighed heavily, intimately familiar with the art form of the passive aggressive text. She set her phone down and stared up at the ceiling as she considered what the best response would be. She checked the time on her computer - thirty minutes until her normal lunch break.

“Meet me for lunch,” she replied to Thor before she returned her focus to the seating chart.

Darcy knew it was time for lunch when she caught a whiff of greasy burgers and fries. She looked up from her computer and saw Thor striding across the office floor with a grease-stained paper bag in his hands. Standing and locking her computer, she asked: “Where to?”

“I was thinking of the greenhouse balcony,” Thor commented as he tucked Darcy’s hand into his arm.

“Lead the way,” she smiled. Her nerves were bubbling up in her stomach, she hated confrontation, but she hated tiptoeing around an issue more. The small table that had been placed there for their second date had remained on the balcony for continued use. When they’d finally settled at the table and spread the food out before them Darcy took a deep breath, picking up a french fry before speaking. “So,” she said as she took a bite, “What’s your issue with me and Steve?”

Thor finished chewing the bite of burger he’d just taken and set the food down. “I do not understand your question.”

Darcy froze, french fry on her way to her mouth. This was honestly not one of the outcomes she had prepared for. “Me and Steve. Being friends. Dancing together,” Darcy offered, hoping that something she said would spark the jealousy she had anticipated.

“Yes, I am aware that you are friends and he is helping to train you to be a better warrior.” Thor still hadn’t resumed eating, his food sat on the table in front of him as he focused all of his attention on Darcy, whose legs had started dancing an upbeat jig under the table.

“And that we have been learning dances together,” Darcy added.

“Well,” Thor began and Darcy internally rejoiced, happy she was about to be on territory she had prepared for. “I hadn’t realized you were still learning dances with him as you had not mentioned it, but I am aware you and he are dance partners. Am I supposed to be upset?”

Darcy took a large bite of her burger to buy herself time to think of the right response. Swallowing, she took a sip of soda, still not prepared to reply, while Thor’s food still sat untouched. “I mean, no? I guess not?” Thor remained silent having recently learned that Darcy could not abide long silences. Sure enough less than a minute later Darcy continued to speak. “I guess I just felt like you weren’t happy that I was doing something with Steve tonight?”

“What made you think that?”

“Your text this morning after I told you I couldn’t meet you for dinner. It seemed pretty passive aggressive to me.”

Thor cracked a small smile, “Ah, so you assumed did you?” He picked up his burger and took a bite, certain that the more trying part of the conversation had passed.

Darcy rolled her eyes, “I’m really beginning to regret teaching you that joke.” She took another bite of her food before adding, “Fine, yes, I assumed and here I am looking like an ass. I guess I’m just…used to that kind of treatment.”

“Darcy, how many times must I tell you that you being treated poorly in the past does not mean that is what you should expect from me?”

She sighed as she thought back to some of their previous conversations that had gone similarly. He was right, Thor had never treated her the way her past boyfriends had from the moment he’d first expressed interest in her. “I’m going to be honest here and say you’ve probably got at least another three or four times to tell me before it really sinks in.”

“That’s fine,” Thor smiled, “Especially if it means I get to spend extra time with you when you try and pick a fight about it.” The corner of Darcy’s mouth ticked up in a smile, “That’s more like it,” Thor added. “Don’t be sad, Little One. You and I both know how patient I can be.”

That statement had a flash of heat sparking behind Darcy’s eyes as she thought back to the few times Thor had proven the strength of his patience while they were in the bedroom. “So you swear you aren’t upset that Steve and I are learning dances together? You know that means his hands are going to be on me, right?” She mentally kicked herself for continuing to pick at the issue, but she knew if she didn’t she’d just start to worry about it again later.

“Do I enjoy knowing that another man will be touching you and holding you close? Not in the least,” Thor admitted. “I do not much enjoy sharing. That being said, I would be foolish to think that you would have no male friends, particularly given that you and Steve have been friends for longer than we have been together.”

* * *

“You know, I’ve been doing some research of my own,” Thor had a sly grin on his face as he looked at Darcy from his spot on her too-small-couch. She had curled herself up as small as she could and had her head rested on his thigh, neck turned at an awkward angle to look up at him. 

“Is that so? I thought your thousands of years of experience on me meant you knew everything you’d need to know by now,” Darcy teased. 

Thor let out a huff of laughter, “Sure, by now I know what it is I like most and the things I’d rather not do. But Midgardians are always so inventive with their primitive technology. I’m sure there are things I’ve not experienced before because of it.” 

“So I take it you want to tell me about what you’ve learned this time?” Darcy smiled. 

“I thought we’d make an excursion. Friday has let me know where to find what I’m looking for.”

Darcy stilled, she could feel her heart rate picking up at the idea of going somewhere with Thor to see what he’d learned. “Uh, yellow?” she said uncertainty tainting her voice. 

“We aren’t in a scene, Little One. You don’t have to safeword if you have questions.”

Darcy sat up on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her as she turned to face Thor. “Okay, I wasn’t sure where your line with that was so I figured better safeword than sorry,” she smiled at her own joke. “Are you talking about playing in public? I’m not sure I’m ready for that just yet.”

“No, my sweet,” Thor smiled and reached out to brush lightly at her hair. “I’ve learned of some accessories that we may enjoy together and wanted to go procure them before we began tonight.”

Darcy beamed, “Oh! Okay, yes I am totally down with that plan. But let’s check out what I’ve got here before we go out. What if I have what you’re looking for?”

“I would be very surprised if you did, but please lead the way.”

Darcy got up from the couch and moved quickly to the hardly used nightstand to the right of her bed. She knelt on the ground, pulling out the bottom drawer and beginning to root through it. 

Thor walked into the room and smiled at the sight of her on her knees, ass raised in the air with an eye mask in one hand. “Mmmm, I do like to see you in that position, Little One,” he came up behind her and took the mask from her hand, “And I had been considering trying out sensory deprivation at some point, though it wasn’t in my plans for the evening.”

“Oh, this? It’s my airplane sleep mask, but I guess it could be used for blindfolding,” Darcy said as she leaned up and began to turn to look at Thor. 

“Stop,” he commanded quickly with a hand on her shoulder. “I was still enjoying the view.” Darcy lowered herself again, but not before Thor took the blindfold from her hands and pocketed it, “What else do you have in that drawer?”

Darcy glanced over her shoulder, grinning up at him, “Mostly your run of the mill single college girl sex toy collection. A sparkly purple vibrator,” she said as she pulled out the aforementioned object, “a gag gift from my friends who went to Comic-Con,” a royal blue, slightly rectangular paddle followed the vibrator, “and a suction cup dildo.” She closed the drawer and surveyed the small pile on the top of the nightstand with a smile. 

“What’s this?” Thor asked, picking up the paddle. 

“The Tard-ass,” Darcy chuckled. “It’s a Doctor Who pun, my friends couldn’t resist.”

“I see,” Thor said as he tested the weight of it against his palm. “Did you ever use it?” When Darcy shook her head he smiled, “There will be time for that, Little One. For now, why don’t we go on that outing; it’s good to know what you have but it was not what I had in mind.”

Twenty minutes later they were walking up to a store with blackened windows and a neon open sign. Thor held the door for Darcy before following her closely inside where they were very suddenly surrounded by all manner of toys and objects. Darcy was immediately taken aback, the store was wall to wall sex toys, including a corner with darker packaging in the back. 

“Good evening, Sir, Ma’am,” the shop attendant greeted them warmly, “Can I help you find anything in particular or are you just browsing?”

Thor placed a hand possessively on the small of Darcy’s back, “Yes, my lady and I are in the market for some silken restraints, could you show me where to find those?” 

“Right this way,” the man nodded before pivoting on his feet and leading them towards the back corner Darcy had noticed earlier. “Here you’ll find our collection of various ties made from a variety of materials. If you’re looking for silk may I recommend this set?” he picked a set off the wall and handed it to Thor who inspected the package briefly. 

“Yes, these will do nicely,” Thor said as he handed the package back to the attendant. “What about anything for nipple play?” 

“Certainly, Sir. We have a selection of different varieties here,” the man said as he gestured to an area a few feet away. Before they reached the rack of toys the door opened admitting another few customers, “If you’ll excuse me, Sir, Ma’am.” The attendant took the restraints with him to the front counter as he greeted the new customers. 

“What do you think of these?” Thor asked Darcy as he pointed out a set of tweezer-style nipple clamps. 

Darcy grinned up at him, “Those could be a lot of fun, I think.”

“Was there anything you had in mind that you’d like for us to get?” A blush pinked the tops of Darcy’s cheeks as she bit her lower lip. “Now now, Little One, there’s no need to be embarrassed about what you want,” he pressed her. 

Darcy took a few steps further down the wall to where there was a display of handcuffs, each one different than the last. “I know you’re getting the restraints but I had been thinking about some cuffs too?”

Thor smiled, “I like the sound of that. Were you thinking of something like these?” He gestured to a padded leather pair with lobster clasps that could be hooked to anything with a D-ring, “Or something more traditional?” Thor’s eyes fell to a classic pair of metal handcuffs, chained together. Darcy considered the options before her and reached out to trail her fingers over the package of the padded leather cuffs.

“An excellent choice, Ma’am,” the attendant said behind them. Darcy jumped, she’d forgotten they were in a public place. She turned around to thank the man for his praise and paled when she saw the figure lingering on the other side of the store. 

“Darcy?” Thor asked quietly, “Is something the matter?”

Darcy inclined her head in Ben’s direction and felt herself shrinking into Thor’s side as though she could disappear from view and Ben would never know she’d been there. 

“Is there a problem, Sir?” the attendant asked, taking a curious look in Ben’s direction. 

“The boy over there,” Thor spoke quietly but with intent, “He’s been harassing my girlfriend lately. We’ll be leaving.”

Before Thor could take a step towards the door the attendant held up his hand, “It is no worry, Sir. If you’ll excuse me?” He walked towards Ben and quietly escorted him from the store but not before he’d made eye contact with Darcy and sent a sneer her way. 

“He’s gone now, Little One. Are you alright?” Thor asked as he bent down to Darcy’s height. 

“Just shaken. I want to go home,” she said, reluctantly letting go of Thor and walking towards the front counter. 

“Of course, why don’t you call a car to take us back to the tower while I check out? We’ll be more secure there,” Thor explained, though Darcy was a little startled to realize that when she’d said she wanted to go home what she had meant was the tower. 

* * *

“Sure, I know exactly where that is,” Darcy smiled falsely as she wrote down the name of the coffee shop on a scrap of paper in front of her. “I can be there in about 30 minutes,” she confirmed before hanging up the phone. 

A quick search online confirmed that it would take her just as long to walk there as it would to have one of the official cars drive her to the cafe. The air outside was just the right temperature, warm enough that Darcy wouldn’t need a jacket but not as hot as she knew it would be in a few short months. She grabbed her bag and shoved her notebook inside it, calling Thor as she made her way out of the tower. 

“Hey, Thor,” she smiled when he answered the phone after the first ring. “I can’t make it to lunch today, I got called away from the tower for a meeting. Want to meet up for dinner instead?” As they made arrangements for the evening, Darcy walked along the city streets at a relaxed pace. She’d been walking for a few minutes when an eerie feeling came over her, the hairs at the back of her neck standing up. 

“I’ve gotta go, Thor,” Darcy said quickly. “I’ll see you later,” she hung up the phone and slipped it into her pocket in one smooth movement, turning slightly to admire the window display of the store in front of her while checking her periphery for signs of someone watching her. She moved on to the next storefront, the feeling still niggling at her conscious, and used the reflection of the window to check behind her. Satisfied that no one particularly Ben-like was following her, she chalked the feeling up to anxiety and decided to keep heading towards the cafe. 

Ten blocks later the feeling was still pricking at her conscious and her anxiety had not gone away. She was close to the cafe now and desperately looking forward to getting inside and taking a seat with her back to the wall so she could survey the people outside of the shop. As she approached the cafe she was thankful for the bright sunlight shining down on the windows, turning them into a giant mirror. Her gaze fell to a man five feet behind her, moving quickly as he ducked around pedestrians to keep her in his sight. He had a black ball cap pulled low over his face, but Darcy immediately recognized the gait as Ben’s.  Her heart rate, already higher than normal, ratcheted up higher as she pulled opened the door to the cafe. It was a long narrow building and Darcy made quick work of getting to the back, turning into the tiny kitchen before the door had opened again. The kitchen staff started to make noise at the intruder but Darcy caught the eye of one of them and raised a finger to her lips. Something in her eyes must have told them she was in danger, the girl yelled out a curse over the soup she’d been working on to cover the shouts of surprise from the other workers. 

“Here,” she whispered, one hand on Darcy’s elbow, “You need to make a getaway?” Darcy nodded as the girl guided her to the back entrance of the cafe, and opened the door. 

“Thank you,” Darcy whispered, still too afraid to speak at a regular volume in case Ben heard her and figured out where she was. 

Now that she was back on the street she had to figure out where she would go. She was in unfamiliar territory which put her more on edge, if only she were near her apartment or the tower she would have multiple choices on places to hide out. She continued to walk quickly, desperate to put as much distance between herself and the cafe as possible before Ben realized she had ducked out the back. Just ahead of her was an open-air marketplace, tents and umbrellas set up in a myriad of colors, people crowding the walkways as they surveyed the vendors wears - the perfect place to hide. 

Darcy was busy ducking and weaving between booths and stalls, concentrating on staying as inconspicuous as possible and if she could feel eyes on her again. She was so focused on getting away that she missed the looming figure in front of her - something of a challenge given his tall stature. “Ooof,” she cried out as she stumbled into the hard abs of the man in her path. “I’m so sorry,” she began to apologize as she stepped back and turned her face up to see who she’d run into. “Thor? What are you doing here?” 

It would be a lie to say that Darcy wasn’t happy to see Thor, she knew she’d be safe by his side if Ben caught up to her now, but she didn’t think she was ready to let Thor know that he’d been following her. She knew he’d get overprotective and ask her not to leave the tower without company, but Darcy knew how impractical that would be with her apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. 

“I could ask the same thing of you, Darcy,” Thor let an easy grin show on his face, but his eyes flashed with devious curiosity. “You said you were going to a cafe for a meeting and would be there for two hours at least, yet here you are in the middle of a market.”

“Oh,” Darcy exclaimed, one hand coming up to absently scratch at her shoulder as she continued to speak, “My contact with the city called right after I got to the cafe and canceled on me. Her kid got sick. I figured while I was out I’d explore a new neighborhood.” She was proud of herself, the lie tumbling out of her mouth with barely a thought about it and somehow she’d managed to keep her voice even. If only her heart would stop racing in her chest she could be certain Thor bought her story. 

“I see,” Thor smiled sweetly. “In that case, would you care to accompany me to lunch?” He stuck out his arm and wrapped it around Darcy’s shoulder, tucking her firmly against his side as he moved them through the market with ease. 

“I should really get back to the tower,” Darcy replied. “I’ve already been gone for a while and I’ve got a lot of work to do. But we can still get dinner tonight,” she smiled, finally calming down now that it seemed Thor had bought her story and she knew she was safe from Ben’s advances with him by her side. 


	9. No Loss, No Returning

“What, no flowers today?” Darcy joked as she greeted Thor at the door of her office, quickly taking his proffered arm as they made their way to the waiting elevator. Thor remained quiet until the doors to the elevator were shut and they were alone. 

“Flowers are a reward, Little One. I do not bestow rewards to those who lie to me,” Thor’s voice was even, no emotion behind the words, as he stared straight forward in the elevator. “Ben was following you today, that is why you did not have your meeting this afternoon.”

Darcy’s stomach dropped, the small pit of guilt that had been growing all day finally opening up, a deep chasm threatening to swallow her whole. She’d already realized she would have to tell Thor about Ben following her that afternoon; she’d gotten back to the tower and immediately called to file a police report when she realized there was no way she’d be able to hide that from Thor. Even without their agreement not to keep secrets from one another, this was going too hard for her to do without his support. Darcy cast her eyes down to the floor, “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I was going to tell you, I just-”

“No excuses, Darcy. You know the rules. We both agreed to them and now you have to face your punishment.” The elevator was coming to a halt on Thor’s floor so he remained quiet until they were back in the privacy of his suite. “Do you have any questions?” 

Darcy hesitated before stepping out of her shoes at the doorway. “How did you know?” She’d racked her brain the entire elevator ride and she had yet to figure out how he knew. "Was it my mysterious tell again? I still want to know what that is,” she joked, trying desperately to infuse some light-hearted banter into the weighted conversation. 

“There was that, yes, but also the phone call from Tony this afternoon to ask why you had been filing a police report after you came back to the tower with me. Did you not think I would find out?”

“Fucking Stark,” Darcy murmured under her breath, “Figures.” 

“Do not be cross with him, Darcy. He did the right thing by telling me, unlike someone else we both know.” The look Thor shot her across the living room was pointed, the guilt Darcy was feeling now completely overtaking her. 

She crossed the room to sit on the couch in front of him, “I’m sorry, Thor,” she said solemnly. “I should have-”

Thor cut her off with a sharp shake of his head. “There will be time for apologies later, Little One. After your punishment, I think you’ll have a clearer head.”

“Okay,” Darcy said, voice soft as she accepted his wishes. “What is my punishment to be?”

“You’re not to come tonight, Darcy. That’s your first punishment.”

“First?” Darcy asked, surprised to hear that there was to be more than one punishment for her offense. 

“Yes, first. That’s for not telling me when I found you in the marketplace.” Thor paused, letting the weight of his words sink in before he continued, “And I think 20 spankings should do nicely for your second punishment.” Darcy opened her mouth to ask what this punishment was for but Thor cut her off before she could start. “I don’t ever want to hear news about you from Tony, or another member of this team, again. I did not appreciate having to feign understanding of a situation I knew nothing about.”

“Yes, Thor,” Darcy replied, head bowed slightly in deference to him. She desperately wanted to apologize again, anything to ease the burden of guilt she was feeling, but she knew to do anything other than exactly what Thor asked her right now was a bad idea. 

“When I say so, I want you to get up and go to the bedroom. Once you’re there, strip, then kneel at the foot of the bed and wait for me. Okay?” 

Darcy considered his instructions carefully before replying, “Yes, Thor.”

“Okay,” Thor said before kissing Darcy sweetly one last time, “Go.”

Darcy rose from the couch and moved quickly to the bedroom. Once she’d crossed the threshold she began to strip immediately, pausing only to fold her clothes neatly and place them on top of Thor’s dresser before going to kneel in front of the bed. She couldn’t say how long she waited there for him, there was no clock in the bedroom and with the guilt that was gnawing at her one minute felt like one eternity to Darcy anyway. 

Thor moved into the bedroom quietly for all of his bulk, sitting down at the edge of the bed just to the right of where Darcy was kneeling. “How many spankings will you be getting, Little One?”

“Twenty, Thor,” Darcy replied softly. 

“And what is your safeword?”

“Red, Thor.”

“Good girl. Stand up and lay across my lap,” Thor commanded. As soon as Darcy was settled on his lap Thor began to rub lightly over her ass, barely warming it to the touch before he raised his hand and brought it down swiftly.

“ _ One _ ,” Darcy thought to herself, though she could tell Thor had barely put any power behind the swat. There was barely a pause before his hand came down again on her other ass cheek, barely increasing the power, she gritted her teeth against the slight pain. 

The next three times she was swatted was harder, each time Thor lifted his hand a stinging sensation remained. “ _ Six _ ,” Darcy thought, a moan creeping out after his hand slapped exactly where he’d just hit seconds before, the adding sting sending a jolt of unexpected pleasure to her core. The seventh and eighth hits were much the same, layered pain turning into a jolt of pleasure which had Darcy moaning out on the ninth spanking. 

Thor quickly moved his hand between her legs to grab at her dripping cunt, “You like being spanked, don’t you Little One?”

“Yes,” Darcy moaned. 

“Yes, what?” Thor admonished her as he removed his hand from her pussy.

“Yes, Thor,” Darcy corrected, quickly. 

Thor grinned, “You learn so quickly, my sweet. I love how responsive you are to my commands. Still, I think that deserves another spanking. How many is that now?” 

Darcy’s brain struggled to find the answer, knowing that they were at nine spankings so far and the additional one meant there was to be 21 total, but she was too far gone to do the math necessary to figure it out. “21 total, Thor,” she gasped as Thor placed a punishing blow on her ass. “We’re at ten now,” Darcy said proudly, a few tears leaking out of her eyes at the sharp pain. 

“Keeping count without my asking? Good girl,” Thor said quietly before raising his hand again. The next three strikes had Darcy reeling, each one increasing in intensity and causing her hips to thrust down against her will, desperately trying to get any friction against her dripping pussy. By the fourteenth, she was having trouble concentrating on the number they were at, and at the fifteenth, she had become an incoherent mess moaning wantonly in Thor’s lap. 

“Darcy?” he asked after the sixteenth and seventeenth blow had landed with barely an acknowledgment from her. When she didn’t respond he questioned her again, “Can you sit up for me?” She made a feeble attempt at a movement - arms, and legs floundering in the air before Thor moved back onto the bed to make it easier for her to reposition herself. Even with the added security of the mattress Darcy was having trouble coordinating and gave up after only seconds of effort. 

Thor smiled down at her as he moved her to lay next to him on her stomach, hands moving soothingly over the reddened skin of her ass, “Well I guess we know that spankings are a bad punishment for you, huh?” he joked, remembering back to the times Sif had been in a similar state - nearly speechless and blissfully unable to move. “Darcy?” Thor asked as he moved his face to be within her view. When her eyes found him and focused in he smiled, “Will you be alright if I go to the kitchen to get you some water?” She smiled up at him, head moving in a slight nod. "Okay, I’ll be right back,” he said sweetly as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. 

The moment he walked into the kitchen the overhead warning lights began to blare, “Avengers Assemble,” came Friday’s voice over the speakers throughout the residential floors. 

“Friday, put me in touch with the Captain,” Thor spoke calmly as he moved to the cabinet where the glasses were. 

“Doombots in the harbor,” Steve answered. “Wheels up in five.”

“I’m going to need to sit this one out, Captain,” Thor said as he poured a glass of water for Darcy. “I’m otherwise engaged at the moment.”

“I can’t let you do that, Thor. Tony tried to fly in as a preliminary scout and was hit with an EMP blast that rendered him useless. We don’t know how they’re still operational, but we’re down Iron Man, War Machine, and Falcon. I need all non-mechanical hands on deck,” Steve commanded. 

“Then can you give me 15 minutes at least?” Thor asked, making his way back to the bedroom where Darcy still lay unmoving. 

“Wheels up in ten minutes,” Steve said before disconnecting. 

“Darcy,” Thor said gently as he sat down next to her on the bed, “Can you sit up and drink some water for me?” 

“Uh-uh,” Darcy grunted, shaking her head slightly before curling her body around Thor’s lap. 

He ran his fingers through her hair for a moment before speaking up. “Hey there,” he said gently as he moved out of her embrace and knelt by the bed at her eye level. “Dr. Doom sent another fleet of robots into the harbor and the team needs my help. Do you think you can stay here and wait for me?” Darcy began shivering before she could manage to formulate an answer, she was so cold suddenly and all she could think about was snuggling into Thor’s warm embrace. 

There was a beeping tone overhead followed by Steve’s voice calling out, “Three minutes,” before the room was silent again. “I’ve got to go, Darcy, but I promise you I’ll be back as soon as I can be.” He stood up and moved to the other side of the bed, quickly folding over the blanket and cocooning it around Darcy’s shivering form. The next thing Darcy heard was the front door slamming as Thor grumbled his way into the hallway.

* * *

Twenty minutes after the door was slammed shut there was another beep from the overhead speakers, “Miss Lewis?” Friday called out tentatively. 

Darcy blearily lifted her head, only coming completely back to herself the second time Friday had called for her. “Yeah?” Darcy called in response as she made a half-hearted attempt to sit up in the bed. 

“I didn’t want to disturb you, but I think you may need to see the latest news reports coming in from where the Avengers are.”

“Okay, Friday. Can you play it in here?” Instead of a response, the wall in front of the bed turned into a television screen, a newscaster reading solemnly from a teleprompter. 

“We’re here on the scene where Dr. Doom has sent laser-equipped robots in an attempt to take over the city. The Avengers are here working to take them down, but we’ve already heard of one civilian casualty. Paramedics are on the scene tending to the injuries that have happened, but no word yet on the cause of the casualty.”

“Fuck,” Darcy cursed, mind suddenly snapping to attention. “Friday, start a pot of coffee on the marketing floor and get the speechwriters in. We’ve got to prepare statements for multiple eventualities and we’ll need them to be ready as soon as the fight is done.”

Darcy threw the covers off of her, marveling at how just moments ago she was hardly aware of where she was. She threw on her clothing and grabbed her shoes to put on during the elevator ride to her office floor.  The next hour breezed by and before Darcy was really ready the team was landing back at the tower, the news media waiting impatiently for word from her in the press room. “Do we have any word on the cause of the casualty?” Darcy asked as she checked over her hair and makeup in the mirror just outside the doors. 

“We’re still waiting on confirmation,” one of the interns called out, “But initial medical reports are showing laser damage.”

“Okay, give me card set three,” Darcy told them taking a final deep breath before opening the doors to the press room. She took two steps in and there was a roar of noise from reporters calling out questions for her to answer. “Good morning,” Darcy said, “I mean, um. Good afternoon. Shit.” The moment the curse left Darcy’s mouth she silently mouthed a ‘fuck’ before remembering that this was being televised as well. “We all have off days, am I right? Let’s try again,” Darcy tried to smile charmingly but somehow knew she was failing. “Good evening, I’ll be reading a prepared statement and then I’ll take a few questions.”

Darcy glanced down at the cards in her hands, opening her mouth to begin the statement before realizing the words were blurry and swimming on the paper in front of her. “Um, we are gathered here today?” Darcy guessed, beginning to panic as she had no idea what she was supposed to be reading. She’d never felt a crash like this before, the podium was usually one of the places she felt most in control but the moment she’d stepped up before the crowd of people it was like all of the energy she had been using to get her that far was gone. Why couldn’t she just be back in the bed with Thor? 

A hand reached out from somewhere behind her grasping at her upper arm and yanking her back through the doors she’d walked out of. She vaguely noted someone was taking her spot at the podium and making sense of whatever words had been on the notecards. “Go home, Darcy,” one of the interns was telling her, “We’ve got this one. You should have called in.”

“Yeah, okay,” Darcy murmured as she stumbled towards the elevator bay and considered how she’d manage to get all the way home when all she really wanted was to go back to sleep. Walking seemed like far too much effort at the moment, her muscles were sore anyway. “Friday, take me to the garage and check out a car for me.”

* * *

“It’s never good to lose anyone in a fight,” Steve was saying as they reviewed footage from the battle they’d just returned from, “But I’m happy to report the death was officially caused by one of the robots.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Tony snapped, “He was killed with a laser and we weren’t able to use our own technology.” Tony’s phone buzzed on the table in front of him and he picked it up, checking the message.

“What I have said about personal communication during debriefings?” Steve scolded. 

Tony held up a hand, brows furrowed as he read whatever was sent. “You’re going to want to see this,” he argued, “Pepper just sent this to me. Thor, you may want to pay attention.”

The screen in the middle of the table lit up with a series of tweets with the hashtag #DrunkDarcy. Tony clicked on a video that showed Darcy stumbling up to the podium before her disastrous introduction. “Your girl okay, Thor?” Tony asked, his words casual but the look on his face filled with concern. 

Thor stood from his spot at the table, glaring at Steve, “I told you I was otherwise engaged. She’s not drunk, she’s sick. When I left she had a high fever and was incoherent. Friday, where is Darcy now?” Thor asked as he stalked out the door of the debriefing room.  “She was attempting to get to a car in the parking garage, I have her in an elevator traveling extremely slowly. I did not think it wise that she drives.”

“Good call, Friday. Can you have her brought to my floor, but make sure I’m there first?”

“Right away, Thor,” called the AI as a set of elevator doors opened in front of him. 

* * *

As Darcy rode the elevator down, back slouched against the wall, she considered the lead up to her sudden crash. She kept coming back to the same point, the entire time after Darcy had been nearly unresponsive in his bed Thor had not called her Little One. She didn’t realize how much the pet name meant to her, but she couldn’t help but think the fact that he hadn’t used it meant something. 

This had been their first time with Thor actually punishing Darcy and instead of getting punished, she’d gotten a weird kind of high. She was pathetic, she thought to herself as she remembered Thor’s comment about how spanking was a bad punishment for her. All she wanted was to be home in her bed, pretending this had never happened.  “Friday, what’s taking so long?” Darcy whined, and just like that, the elevator car began moving faster. “That’s what I’m talking about,” Darcy muttered, too out of it to realize the car had changed direction. 

“Thor?” she said, stumbling out of the elevator car when the doors opened. “What are you doing here? Why isn’t this the parking garage?”

“Oh, Darcy, come here,” Thor moved forward to envelop her in a hug as her face screwed up, tears falling down her cheeks. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

“But I have to go home, they told me. And you don’t want me anymore cause I can’t be punished,” Darcy continued crying as Thor half dragged her down the hallway to his rooms. 

“Darcy, my home is your home. You should know that by now,” Thor began to counter her arguments in order, pausing only to push inside the apartment. 

“You won’t-” Darcy choked out a heaving sob, leaning back heavily on the door. “You won’t call me Little One anymore,” she managed to get out before sinking out of Thor’s grasp and collapsing to the floor. 

“Is that what’s got you upset?” Thor asked as he crouched down and lifted her into his arms. “Come on, Little One, we’re almost back to the bed and then I can tell you how perfect you are.” 

Darcy sobbed harder in his arms at the return of the pet name, the shivers she had before coming back with a vengeance. “I’m so-so-sorry,” she stammered out, “I didn’t f-f-follow our rules.”

“Hush now, Little One. There will be time for that later,” he gently set her down on the bed and helped her out of the suit she’d changed into before settling in the bed beside her. “I need you to understand something, okay? Nothing that happened tonight was your fault. You could not have known you would have entered such an altered state.”

“But you said I was bad at being punished,” Darcy sniffed as she tucked herself closer into Thor’s embrace, glad to be so close to his warmth. 

“I think you misunderstood me. I said spanking was a bad punishment for you. That doesn’t mean you’re bad at being punished, it just means we’ll have to try something else.”

“Oh,” Darcy said, falling silent for a few beats before speaking again. “So I still have to be punished?” 

“For earlier today? No, no I think you’ve been through enough tonight. And it is my hope that I shouldn’t ever have to punish you, but if the occasion arises I will just have to find something that I know you don’t enjoy,” Thor explained as he stroked fingers through Darcy’s hair and down her back. “Are you feeling any better? You’ll need to eat something soon.”

“Don’t go,” Darcy squeezer her arms around his chest. “Please?”

“I’m not going anywhere this time, Darcy. I promise you, I’m going to stay right here until you tell me to do otherwise.”

“Okay,” Darcy replied happily. 

Moments passed in relative silence, Thor listening carefully to Darcy’s breathing to settle down before he questioned her. “Why did you think I wouldn’t call you Little One anymore?”

“Because,” Darcy started to speak, struggling to get her thoughts in order, “After I stopped responding you just called me Darcy, and then you said that thing about being punished and I just - gods I’m so stupid, I’m sorry I overreacted.”

Thor sat up in the bed, dragging Darcy up with him and situating her on his lap so he could look into her eyes while he held her. “Darcy, you are not stupid and I don’t want to ever hear you say something like that about yourself again. What you experienced is common, I think, with people who take your roll in things. I’ve seen it with Sif before, and from what I’ve heard others have experienced it as well. 

“I don’t know that it has a name, but Sif most often entered that space when I had caused her great pain. I was surprised to find you slip into it so easily tonight, but that is not a problem, Little One, nor a flaw in your person. Do you understand?” Thor asked, his voice serious with a hint of the authoritative tone he’d been using earlier in the night. 

“Yes, Thor,” Darcy replied obediently, though she was still a little uncertain. He’d only begun calling her Little One again after she had started crying, after all. 

“You took me by surprise when you stopped responding. I was scared at first, and then once I realized what was going on I needed a way to get your attention and let you know that your punishment was over,” Thor explained, “Calling you Little One may have sent the wrong signal and I didn’t want that.” Darcy nodded, cheeks pinking at the realization that the explanation was so simple. 

“I learned long ago with Sif that it was bad to leave her alone after, she’d fall into a deep depression if I had to leave too soon,” Thor continued. “When Steve called the assemble I asked him to sit this one out, but I didn’t tell him why. I should have fought harder to stay behind with you, Darcy. If I had, you never would have even been aware of the casualty, let alone made it to a press conference. I’m surprised you lasted as long as you did.”

“Oh gods,” Darcy said, a look of horror coming over her face, “I fucked up my job so bad, didn’t I? Shit, I’m never going to be able to show my face in front of the press again.”

“Don’t worry about that, Darcy,” Thor said as he smoothed the wrinkles out of her forehead. “I told the team you were running a high fever when I left you and that was why you were acting so strangely. I have no reason to believe they would suspect me of a lie.”

“Are you sure?” Darcy asked on a yawn, leaning over to tuck her head into the crevice of Thor’s neck and shoulder. 

“It won’t be a problem, Little One,” Thor replied. “Why don’t you get some sleep now?”

“Okay,” Darcy nodded, shuffling herself around to lay down in the bed again. “You’ll stay?” she asked, still unwilling to break contact with him if she could help it. 

“As long as you’ll have me,” Thor replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as he settled the blankets around them. 

* * *

Thor held Darcy in his arms through the night as she slept, wracking his brain for a solution should he be called away suddenly again. He knew that no matter how much he protested, there was always a chance that he’d be needed elsewhere in the world during or right after he and Darcy had finished a scene. 

The morning light shone through the windows before Darcy began to stir in his arms. “Good morning, Little One,” Thor whispered quietly as she rose to consciousness. “Are you hungry yet? I could make breakfast.” There was a muffled reply that could have been a request for food or just a smothered yawn before Darcy turned over to lay on her back. She let out a faint hiss as the sheets rubbed at her sore ass and Thor made a mental note to check her for bruising later. 

“The only way I’d say no to bacon right now is if I had to get out of bed to eat it,” she grumbled before turning back on her side and burrowing deeper into the covers. 

Thor smiled, “Will you be alright if I leave you here to make you some breakfast? If you’d rather I stay I can always order something in.”

“No, s’okay,” came Darcy’s reply, “M’just gonna sleep s’more,” she yawned, already half asleep again.

Thor moved out of the bed and made his way quietly to the kitchen to begin preparing some breakfast for the two of them. Only a few moments passed before there was a knock at his door. “Friday, can you tell me who’s there?”

“It’s Mr. Stark, sir. Shall I let him in?” the AI asked.

“Please let him know now is not a good time but I will be happy to speak with him this afternoon,” Thor replied curtly while he placed a few strips of bacon in a pan on the stove. 

A moment passed before there was another knock at the door, this time accompanied by a chime indicating the visitor was speaking. “Thor, either you’re going to let me in or I’m going to use my override codes, but one way or another I’m coming in there to speak with you. Your call.”

“Let him in, Friday,” Thor called out in an exasperated tone. “Tony,” Thor greeted when the man walked in the door, “I hope you can make this quick, I am in the middle of something right now.”

“Yes,” Tony replied, eyes sharp, “Taking care of your ‘sick’ girlfriend?” When Thor nodded his agreement Tony spoke up again, “Except I know that Darcy isn’t sick so here’s what’s going to happen-” 

“You know she’s not sick how exactly?” Thor probed, certain that Darcy would want to keep as much of their bedroom life private and unwilling to drop the lie unless he was forced. 

“Passive monitoring of all residential floors. Friday alerts me if anyone is running a temperature over 98 degrees so I can be sure to stay away from them. I checked her medical report logs from yesterday and Miss Lewis’ temperature was at a cool 97 degrees all day long.” Thor remained silent at Tony’s admission, uncertain what the man wanted from him now. 

“Either you’re going to tell me what’s really going on or I’m going to run down a series of short guesses until I figure it out, but Short Stack isn’t sick and either she needs to get help or we need a contingency plan,” Tony stated evenly. 

Thor turned to survey the pan of bacon, carefully flipping some of the strips over as he thought over what Tony had said. “Contingency plan?” Thor asked by way of an answer. 

“Sure, contingency plan. It was always easier to pretend I was drunk or high when I got bombarded with media during a sub-drop, but I don’t think that’s going to be so easy with Darcy.”

“Sub-drop?” Thor probed again, his focus still on the bacon in front of him instead of the man at his back. 

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Tony said loudly.

“You’ll do well to remember Darcy is sleeping only a few feet away. You’d best lower your voice,” Thor commanded. 

“Right. And you’d do well to remember I have a vested interest in keeping Avengers Initiative employees in good health, so fess up. Either Darcy has a substance abuse problem that she’s kept very well hidden until yesterday, or you two are playing in a world you clearly know far too little about.”

Thor turned off the heat on the bacon pan and motioned for Tony to follow him into the living room. “I’d like to remind you that I’ve been alive for thousands of years,” Thor said patiently, “And that just because I am not familiar with Midgardian phrasing, it does not mean I am uneducated.” Tony nodded his head in slight acknowledgment then waited patiently for Thor to continue. “You’re correct, Darcy and I were in a scene when the call to assemble was issued yesterday. I knew she should not be left alone - she was nearly unresponsive -”

“Sub-space,” Tony provided for him calmly. 

“It is good to have something to call it, thank you. Yes, she had entered sub-space. I tried to tell the Captain that I could not leave but he would not take no for an answer. And what happened to Darcy after, that is called sub-drop?” Thor asked, glad to have someone to speak to about these matters. 

“Sub-drop, yep. It can be very bad if the sub is left alone after a scene,” Tony supplied. 

“Yes, I know. My experiences in the past have taught me that, I just did not know how best to handle the situation. I must confess, Darcy will be quiet upset with me that I let you know about this facet of our relationship, we had previously discussed keeping it only between ourselves.”

“I suspect she’ll get over it when she realizes she has gained a similarly subby confidant,” Tony grinned. “I played in the scene a lot in my younger years. I don’t anymore, too easy for someone to take advantage of me and the company, but it’s not like I don’t remember what it’s like.”

“So you and Pepper…?” Thor asked.

“No, never. This was all before her, though she knows it was something I was interested in. But it’s good you brought her up,” Tony added. “She’s our contingency plan.”

“She is?”

“Yeah, why not. Look, I know it’s not ideal but in our line of work interruptions like this are bound to happen at the most inopportune times. If it happens again have Friday call Pepper and she’ll come down to stay with Darcy until you return.”

“She’d be okay with that? What about her work?”

Tony threw out a hand dismissively, “Pep can do her work anywhere, she’ll be fine working from here. Or Darcy’s apartment if that’s where you’re at.”

Thor contemplated the offer Tony was making. He was not entirely willing to admit that he had been worrying about the same thing moments before Tony had knocked on his door, but he was glad to have a solution anyway. “Okay,” Thor agreed, “I’ll talk to Darcy about it when she’s awake and let you know for sure once she has confirmed that she’s okay with the setup.”

“That’s fair,” Tony conceded, “But if she’s not you and I both know we’ll have to revisit the drawing board. This cannot happen again.”

“Agreed,” Thor said as he rose from the couch and made his way back towards the cooling bacon pan. “Now, if we’re done I have a girlfriend to care for?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever Hammer Time,” Tony said as he walked out the door, closing it softly behind him. 


	10. No Cry, No Laughter

“I’m beginning to get concerned with how often I’m finding out Thor has been talking to you about me,” Darcy said as she sat in a rolling chair and pushed her way into Tony’s field of vision. “We’re at least twice now, both times regarding rather private matters, and you’re not exactly known for keeping your mouth shut.”

“Hey, only when it involves me. Someone else’s secrets?” Tony mimed zipping his lips shut, “ay-ips-er-eh.”

“Good, keep them that way,” Darcy stated firmly. “So, Pepper’s really okay with being my babysitter if necessary?”

“Ep,” Tony nodded, stubbornly keeping his lips together. Darcy sighed, leaning forward to ‘unzip’ his lips as she rolled her eyes. “She’s fine with it. She enjoys cuddling so I imagine she’ll be delighted to have someone who just needs her to be close by.”

“And it won’t be putting her out at all? Pepper is like, low key my role model, I don’t want to cause any problems for her.”

Tony shook his head, “The only problem I can foresee is Pepper being out of town when we’re called away, but that chances of that are pretty low now that she’s stopped traveling as much.” Darcy nodded, “I had noticed her around the tower more often recently. Is everything okay?”

Tony let out a chortle, “Look, Darce, I’ll keep your secret but you have to keep this one in return.”

Darcy grimaced, “The name’s Darcy, Tony. We’ve discussed this.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony rolled his eyes. “Do we have a deal?”

“We have a deal,” Darcy grinned. 

“Pepper’s getting older, the constant time changes were hard on her. She’s fine, just likes regular amounts of sleep and not overdosing on caffeine - though I’m not sure what her problem with that is,” he took a sip of his large coffee pointedly. 

“What about if she is out of town? You and I both know Thor won’t budge again if he knows there’s a chance of me being alone.”

“I’m still working on it, but Pep’s scheduled to be in town for the next two months at least, so there’s time.”

“Okay,” Darcy said, the grin on her face widening. “Now that the business portion of this meeting is over, tell me everything.”

* * *

“Honey?” Darcy called as she opened Thor’s door, glad to see him lounging in the living room. She had been carrying around this guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach ever since the day in the marketplace when she’d lied to him. He’d dismissed her attempts at apologies when she was still in the throes of sub-drop, but that was days ago and she needed to get this off of her chest. 

“Hello, Little One,” Thor smiled. 

“Thor,” Darcy said timidly, watching as Thor immediately sat up straighter and leaned in closer to her. She never called him by his name when they weren’t in a scene, she supposed he recognized the gravity of it. “I really need to talk to you about what happened in the marketplace the other day.” 

“Is that all? You seemed so troubled I thought certainly it must be something more serious.”

“I lied to you!” Darcy cried out, “That is serious!”

“While that is true, I don’t think it is cause for you to be so concerned. Why don’t you sit and tell me what is troubling you?”

Darcy immediately took the spot offered to her on the couch, her back resting against an armrest as she faced Thor. “I didn’t want to tell you that Ben had been following me when I saw you in the marketplace. I was afraid you’d want me to travel everywhere with an escort or something and I panicked.” Darcy paused as she considered her next works, “I knew I was safe with you there anyway so I figured it didn’t matter.

“When I got back to the tower I realized I needed to make a police report about it. I was on hold with the department and I was wishing you were there with me to hold my hand as I recounted the story. That’s when I knew I had to tell you and I was planning on it at dinner. But, well, you know how that went,” Darcy finished, her chin tucked to her chest. 

“Darcy,” Thor said as he placed his hand on her cheek to pull her face up, “Do you think you need an escort when you are out in public?” 

She sighed heavily, “I don’t know. I didn’t think so, but then when I was waiting for coffee this morning I felt eyes on me and when I left the shop I am sure he was standing in the corner.”

Thor frowned, “Do you think he’s dangerous?”

"I don’t know. I don’t think he’d do anything, but I don’t like feeling as though I’m being watched all the time.”

“I don’t blame you,” Thor said as he pulled her across the couch and into his embrace. “I appreciate you telling me why you kept it from me. Your honesty deserves a reward, Little One.”

Darcy’s cheeks flushed at the thought of Thor rewarding her, “What is my reward, Thor?”

“I think I’d rather you not know. I’d like to see what your face looks like when you’re taken by surprise.” Darcy had to suppress a moan at his words, she’d been getting more and more comfortable with the idea of Thor having complete control over her during their scenes. “What’s your color, Little One?”

“Green, Thor,” Darcy preened. 

“And your safeword?” Thor asked patiently. 

“Red, Thor.”

“Good girl,” he said as he pulled her onto his lap to straddle him. Darcy thrilled as she arched against him, her breasts pressing forward against his chest. She leaned down to kiss him, dark curtains of her hair falling down around his shoulders. He loved to do this, to get her worked up and ready before asking her, “And who controls your orgasms, Little One?” His teeth came down on the pulse point of her neck before his tongue licked away the sting. 

“You do,” Darcy moaned loudly, hips circling in Thor’s lap. 

“You’re so good to me,” Thor whispered into her skin as he got up from the couch, his arms supporting her ass on the walk back to his bedroom. Once they were above his bed he placed her in the center of it and turned to rummage in his dresser. “Put this on,” he said as he tossed Darcy’s sleep mask onto the bed next to her. “Lay down and don’t move,” he commanded, his voice finally settling into the deep tones that sent Darcy’s blood boiling. 

Still fully clothed, Darcy laid back against the mattress with her arms at her sides and her ankles crossed. She was wondering how long Thor would make her wait when she heard the shuffle of movement from the far corner of the room. Maybe she’d be lucky and Thor wouldn’t make her wait long, it was a reward after all. 

Minutes passed before Darcy heard anything else, the blindfold making her hyper-aware of what was going on around her. This time the noise came from the doorway, and Darcy thrilled with the anticipation of Thor’s touch. More time passed before there was the tickle of soft fabric against the arch of her foot sending Darcy shrieking and jumping in surprise. 

“I thought I told you not to move, Little One,” Thor admonished, though he could hear the grin on his face. “It looks like I may have to tie you up to keep you still,” he continued, kneeling up on the bed and unbuttoning the pants she was wearing. He tugged downwards, chuckling at Darcy’s refusal to lift her hips to help him, “Lift up, Little One.” Her hips lifted and settled down again as Thor ensured her lower half was bare to him. He stood again, pulling one of her feet towards the end of the bed and gently wrapping one of the silk restraints around her ankle. He bound both her feet to opposite posts of the bed before moving up to kneel at the top of the bed this time. 

“Sit up and help me out, Little One,” he said as he pressed a kiss to her shoulder, helping her to move to a seated position. He pulled up on her shirt slowly, as Darcy raised her arms obediently. Her shirt came off, followed quickly by her bra, and then Thor was laying her back down.  “Here,” he said as he fastened the leather cuffs around her wrists, “Put your hands around the headboard.” He clipped the cuffs closed around a slat and stood back to admire Darcy lying exposed on the bed. “You’re so beautiful laying there for me Darcy, I wish you could see how lovely you are.” She turned towards his voice, body squirming at the praise even as a flush crept down her body. 

He left the bed then, backing away quietly so as to make no noise. Darcy could feel his eyes on her but she had no idea where he was watching her from. Her hands flexed against the headboard, trying to subtly test the bounds of her restrains.

“Ah-ah,” Thor called from somewhere near the foot of the bed, “I saw that.” Darcy immediately stilled again, the tension in her body ratcheting up as she felt his eyes travel up her body. The next thing that touched her was warm and wet on her nipple, Darcy tried hard not to jerk in her restraints as Thor’s lips closed around the nipple and the sensation of his tongue settled onto her skin. 

When one nipple was hardened to a peak he pinched it between his fingers while Darcy felt the press of metal on either side. Slowly, he closed the clamp around one nipple, grinning at Darcy’s gasp. He knelt over her and began to tease the other nipple into a peak, occasionally a hand would flick at the pinched bud, sending Darcy reeling. Before long both nipples were clamped and Thor was alternating between sucking on one and pulling at the little ball weights of the other, her hips thrusting upwards seeking friction without her consent. 

Thor’s forearm came down against her waist bracing her hips against the bed as he continued to play with her nipples. That was when Darcy realized he was recreating the gif she’d mentioned to him weeks ago and wondered how long he’d been planning this. “Oh my gods, Thor, please,” she cried out as his knee came between her legs. 

“Please what, Little One?” he asked, lips and tongue teasing along her breast as he spoke. 

“Please touch me, please, please I need more, please,” Darcy rambled as his muscled thigh pressed against her core. 

“You beg me so sweetly, Little One,” Thor smiled against her skin as the hand against her waist moved down to trace lightly against her slit. “Is this what you wanted?”

The urge to thrust forward into his hand was so great that Darcy was glad for the continued pressure of his forearm against her, a reminder that moving would end this sweet torment. “More, please,” Darcy begged as her wrists pulled against the restraints, hands aching to reach out and press his hand where she needed him. 

Slowly Thor’s fingers dipped into her folds, “You’re so wet for me, I bet you taste delicious right now,” he grinned as he moved down her body to settle between her legs. He licked a strip up from her dripping hole to circle around her swollen clit, grinning at Darcy’s moan. “There will be time for that later,” he said as he moved off the bed again, standing back to admire how willing and ready Darcy was. 

The way Thor kept giving her just enough attention before backing away and staying quiet was maddening - she knew he was bringing her closer and closer to orgasm without coming so that when she finally did it would be mind-blowing. Patience had never been her strong suit, though, and she was struggling not to whimper at the lack of contact as the minutes passed by. “Thor,” she nearly whined, “I don’t know how much more I can take, please.”

“You’ve taken more just fine before,” Thor spoke. “You’ll take more now,” he added as two fingers plunged into her without warning. Darcy’s hips arched into his fingers, searching for more contact even as her walls ached at the stretch of his fingers. There was a quick slap of Thor’s hand against Darcy’s thigh before he reached forward to grab at one of the pillows, shoving it roughly under her hips. “Try bucking up now, Little One,” he purred as he crooked his fingers in her wet channel. 

Darcy tried in earnest to thrust herself up to fuck herself on Thor’s fingers but was unable to get any further with the pillow under her hips. “No,” she moaned, still jerking against her restraints in a desperate attempt to get more from him. 

Thor’s movements stilled even as Darcy moaned louder, “What’s your color, Darcy?” 

“Green,” Darcy moaned, unsure how he could ever think otherwise. “Greeeeeen, please Thor, this is supposed to be a reward.”

“You’re talking back,” Thor chided as he removed his fingers from her soaked pussy, “Do you really think that’s the way to get what you want?” 

“No, no, no,” Darcy moaned, her clit throbbing with need as her walls quaked at being empty. “Please, I’m sorry, please,” she whimpered softly, her eyes wet with how much she needed him. 

“Please, what, Little One?” he asked as he tugged at one of the weights on the nipple clamps sending another jolt of pleasure to her core. 

“I need you,” she let out on a long keeling moan, “I need you so badly, please.” There was a sudden pressure at the foot of the bed as Thor settled himself between Darcy’s legs, lining himself up before thrusting forward and filling her in one go. “Gods, yes,” Darcy cried, her knees bending in to clasp at Thor’s waist to the best of her ability. 

“Is this what you needed?” Thor asked, head bending down to suck at a swollen nipple. 

“Yes,” Darcy panted as Thor’s pubic bone brushed against her clit, “Yes, gods I’m so close.” 

“Don’t come yet,” Thor commanded, voice humming around her breast, “Hold on just a little longer for me.” 

Even as he made his request his hips were thrusting hard against hers, driving her closer and closer to the cliff. “I can’t, I can’t,” Darcy cried out as she began to shake. 

Thor continued pumping against her in earnest for a moment. “Okay,” he finally breathed into her neck, lips closing down around her pulse point, “You can come for me.” 

Darcy broke apart then, her body spasming against Thor’s as white spots danced in front of her eyes. “Yes, oh my gods, yes!” she cried out as he continued to pump into her. 

The feel of her walls spasming around him sent him over the edge too, seed spilling into her as she did her best to arch against him. “Good girl,” he whispered over and over as he slowed down, one hand reaching up to undo the clasp between her wrists. 

* * *

“What if,” Thor asked the next morning as he held Darcy in his arms, “You moved into the tower temporarily - just until after your court date and you’ve gotten some legal protection against Ben?” 

Darcy chewed at her lip thinking it over, “I don’t know that I’m ready for that step, Thor. I know you’re just concerned about my safety, and I really do hate feeling like he’s always three steps behind me, but when Ben and I moved in together it was really the beginning of the end for us,” she said as she shuffled in his embrace. 

Thor raised an eyebrow, not sure if he should argue against her statement or just keep trying to persuade her. “You don’t have to move in with me,” he offered, “I’m sure Tony has plenty of guest suites available you could stay in for a short while. I could ask him for you if you’d like?”

Darcy sighed against his chest, “Can you let me think about it for a bit? I know it makes the most sense - if I was living here it would drastically cut down on the number of times I’m out in the city - but it feels a lot like admitting defeat.”

“Normally I would tell you to take all the time you need, but given that your security is at stake I would ask you to decide by the end of the day. If you do not wish to stay here I will have to consider alternative means of keeping you safe,” Thor’s large hand was stroking down Darcy’s naked back, his fingers lingering over the marks on her ass that he’d left the night before. 

“I’ll try,” Darcy said sleepily, “But for now can we just lay here? I feel completely zapped of energy.”

“Yes,” Thor said and Darcy could tell he was wearing a wicked grin, “Fantastic sex will do that to you. Why don’t you stay here while I go make us some breakfast? Do you want pancakes or waffles?”

Darcy turned further into Thor’s embrace, “Mmmm, both sound good I can’t think about that right now. Why don’t you stay here while I stay here, too?” 

“Okay, Little One,” Thor smiled as he kissed the top of her head, “Rest now, breakfast later.”

* * *

Later, unfortunately never came. Darcy and Thor had spent the majority of the morning lounging in bed, glad to have the opportunity for a lazy wake-up. When they had both decided it was time they start the day Thor had been called away for a mission leaving Darcy very much alone in the tower.  It didn’t take long for Darcy to get restless, not quite sure just how at home she could make herself in Thor’s apartment even though he’d told her on more than one occasion that she should consider it home as well. She spent a few minutes thinking about Thor’s proposition from that morning - she would certainly be more secure living in the tower, but could she be happy?

Rather than spend any more time dwelling on the thoughts, Darcy decided to go back to her apartment. At the very least she could grab some things for the weekend, she’d not been planning on staying over when she stopped by after work the night before but it seemed Thor had other plans. Maybe being back in her apartment would give her some idea of how comfortable she’d be with abandoning it for a few weeks. She dashed out a note to Thor letting him know where she was going on the off chance he got back before she did and left the tower. 

The walk back to Hell’s Kitchen from the tower wasn’t long and Darcy enjoyed it far more than the quick trips back and forth she’d taken with Thor via hammer. The convenience of flight was nice, but the inescapable chill she got from it wasn’t. For the first time in what felt like ages, Darcy didn’t have the feeling that someone was watching her the moment she stepped out onto the street. 

Maybe, she thought as she enjoyed the brisk air, she wouldn’t need to move into the tower after all. Maybe Ben had finally realized what a creep he was being and was leaving her alone for good. She decided not to worry about it for the time being and just enjoy the temporary feeling of freedom. 

It wasn’t long until she’d reached her apartment building, the familiar facade still crumbling from age. She buzzed herself in and began making her way up the stairs to her apartment, pausing only when she reached the landing just before hers. There was a figure waiting in the short hallway there - not someone she recognized as a neighbor. 

The feelings of freedom and safety fled Darcy almost as quickly as they had come when the figure turned towards her and she recognized the pale face of Ben. “What are you doing here?” she asked him as she pulled her taser from her pocket where she’d stashed it before leaving the tower. “You know what, don’t answer that just leave.”

“Darcy, I-”

“I don’t give a fuck what you are about to say, I want you to leave,” Darcy said, standing her ground. Ben took a few steps towards her and Darcy panicked, shrinking up against the wall as he passed her on the landing. Her hands were shaking as she unlocked the door to her apartment, her eyes casting around her space to see if she could see anything out of place. 

She bolted and chained the door behind her before wrapping herself in the blanket her mother had made her as a child. Normally a feeling of calm would settle itself over her as the blanket enveloped her body, but now she was just left shaking. Ben had been here at her apartment, and she had no idea why. 

Darcy drew her phone out of her pocket and dialed quickly without thinking about it. “Thor?” she said as soon as the line stopped ringing, her voice shaking with nerves. “Are you back yet?”

“Darcy!” Thor’s voice boomed over the line, “What’s wrong? Where are you?” The concern the god had for her was plainly evident in his voice. 

Darcy drew in a shaking breath before speaking, “I’m at my apartment. I came back to get some stuff and when I got here Ben was waiting outside the door. Are you done with the mission? I’m afraid to leave in case he follows me.”

“We just returned to the tower moments before you called. I’ll be there momentarily, go ahead and start packing some things that you’ll need for the next few weeks. I don’t want you going back there until after court,” he said seriously. “Will you be okay if I hang up the phone? I can have Steve or Tony call you before I leave if you’d like.”

“No,” Darcy replied, her voice calmer now that she knew she wouldn’t be there alone for much longer. “I’ll be okay. I need both of my hands for packing anyway.” 

Even knowing that Thor was on his way didn’t prevent Darcy from jumping when his knock sounded at her door. “I’m so glad you’re here,” Darcy said as she let him the door, turning around and quickly bolting it behind her. “I feel safer with you around,” she admitted to him as she moved across the small apartment and back to her bedroom to pack up her things. “Also, you can carry what is sure to be this ridiculously heavy bag of my things back to the tower for me. You know how much I hate schlepping shit,” she joked despite how nervous the entire situation made her. 

“Aye,” Thor replied as he walked through the apartment, pausing at each window to check for any signs of intrusion. Once he was satisfied with the current security of the apartment he moved back to the bedroom where Darcy was still nervously moving around, tossing items haphazardly into a bag. “Darcy,” he stated firmly, his tone clearly indicating that she was to listen to him now without question, “I want you to sit down and tell me exactly what happened.” Once the story was recounted, Thor excused himself to check the front door. He was unsurprised to find signs of someone trying to pick the lock. “Are your things packed?” he asked when he came back inside. “I’d like to get you back to the tower sooner than later; I don’t like that he knows you’re here right now.” 

“Packed enough for now,” Darcy said, “I’ve got enough to last me for a few weeks, I think.”

“Alright,” Thor replied, “I know how much you hate flying, but I’d rather take you that way and keep you off the streets.”

“Yeah,” Darcy nodded, “I figured as such. I’m fine with that, but you’re making that super warm Asgardian hot chocolate when we get back so I will stop shivering.”

“Of course,” Thor smiled softly to her as he hoisted her bag over his shoulder. They locked up the apartment and made quick work up the stairs to the roof. “Are you ready?” he asked as Darcy wrapped her arms around his torso.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, but don’t expect me to leave the jacuzzi tub for at least 30 minutes when we get back,” Darcy said, tucking her head into the crook of Thor’s neck for as much protection from the cold wind as possible. 

* * *

“Hammertime!” Tony called out to them as they made their way into the tower from the quinjet landing pad. “This isn’t a Days Inn, you can’t just ask for another room for a guest whenever you feel like it.” 

“I’m not,” Thor replied sternly as he helped Darcy from his arms and began to wrap her in the warmth of the cape he still wore from the mission earlier. “Ben was at Darcy’s apartment today.”

“What?!” Tony finally looked up from his desk, eyes widening as he took in the sight before him. Darcy was still shivering with cold while Thor hoisted one of her bags back onto his shoulder. “I thought we had Rollins working on that?” He stood up and moved towards the two of them, “Friday, is Mark 89 still functioning? Bring it here, set the heaters on 80 so Darcy can warm up.”

“I’ve been making police reports like Mr. Rollins told me to whenever I’ve seen Ben, but he hasn’t contacted me about when we’re supposed to be in court yet,” Darcy said through shivering teeth as one of the Iron Man armors posted up in front of her, heat radiating from the empty suit. 

“Friday, contact Rollins about Darcy’s case,” Tony called out as he glanced to Thor, still in his battle uniform holding Darcy’s things. “Thor, why don’t you go ahead and take Darcy’s things to her room. Friday will show you the way. Darcy will need to be with me when we get Rollins on the phone.”

Thor nodded, pressing a quick kiss to the top of Darcy’s head before moving to leave, “I’ll be right back,” he promised as he left the lab. 

“Alright Darce,” Tony started to say before he noticed the strained look on Darcy’s face and it occurred to him she might have a Ben-related reason for hating the nickname. “Oh, Jesus, Kid, I’m sorry. But Darcy, be quick about it. Where do you want your room to be? Next to Thor’s room? As far away from Thor’s room as you can get? I notice you aren’t just staying in his quarters so I’m not sure what’s going on there,” Tony said uneasily. 

Darcy, who was finally able to feel her fingers again, bit her lip while she considered. “Closest room you’ve got to my office?” she suggested, “I just don’t think I’m ready to move in with Thor yet and I’d like to try and keep our relationship as normal as it can be while I’m bunking out here.”

Tony shrugged as he told Friday where to direct Thor with Darcy’s things. Before he had finished the command there was a phone ringing, “Sir, I have Mr. Rollins on the line for you,” Friday called. 

“Great, put him through.” There was a click and then the sound of another person breathing echoed around the lab, “Rollins!” Tony called out, “Care to update me on the status of Miss Lewis’ case?”

“I, uh,” came the first stammered reply, “I would but I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir. Client confidentiality and all,” Rollins finished, clearly worried about having to deny Tony anything. 

“I’m here too, Mr. Rollins,” Darcy said sweetly as she sat down in the chair Dum-E had just offered her. 

“Well, in that case,” the lawyer added at the same time Tony spoke, “Update, Rollins!”

There was a shuffle of paperwork on the other end of the line before Rollins cleared his throat, “Ah, yes. I’ve been waiting to see if we can get Judge Bader, he’s always been softer on cases like these so we have a better chance of winning.”

Tony raised an eyebrow, “Do we really need to worry about winning when the asshole’s been stalking her for the past few weeks? I thought this would be open and shut.”

“Oh, has the stalking continued?” the lawyer asked, pen scratching along paper as he took notes. 

Tony looked to Darcy waiting for her to reply. She hated admitting this to people, always feeling like maybe if she just didn’t talk about it the whole Ben problem would go away. Finally, she spoke up, “If anything I think it’s just gotten worse. I’ve been calling and making police reports like you told me-”

“Wait, how many police reports? Why didn’t you tell me?” Rollins asked. Darcy and Tony could both tell they’d gotten his attention with that statement. 

“Well,” Darcy paused, “You told me to make police reports so I was doing that. I figured you had some way of getting those, I guess?” There was a stutter over the phone line as Darcy realized she had made a mistake in not contacting the lawyer. “I’ve been updating my spreadsheet, I’ve included all the police report numbers. Do you have an email address I can send it to?” 

Tony’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head, “Hold up, Short Stuff. You have a document that relates to this case and you _aren’t_ storing it on StarkCloud so Rollins can see when you update it?” he asked incredulously. 

Darcy balked, “I didn’t know that was an option?” she offered by way of explanation while Tony began talking to the lawyer again. 

“Rollins, I’ll have the document uploaded and sent to you in the next hour. I need you to look over it and find out what you need to do to get Darcy a court date yesterday. Ben was at her apartment just now, so to say things are escalating would be putting it mildly.”

“Certainly, Mr. Stark. I’ll be in touch.” The line disconnected as Thor re-entered the labs.

“Darcy!” he smiled, “I am glad to see you are warm again. Shall I escort you to your rooms? I think you’ll find your morning commute to be most amenable.” The two left the labs arm in arm, Tony shaking his head at the two of them as he returned to his own work. 

“So,” Darcy grinned once they were alone in the elevator, “Last night I think you promised to go down on me and you never did.”

“Is that so,” Thor returned her grin with one of his own. “Well, we’ll just have to remedy that won’t we?” he winked as the elevator door opened to Darcy’s new floor, arm coming to snake around her waist possessively as she keyed into her room for the first time, the door shutting behind them with a final thud. 


	11. No Pulse, No Dancer

Darcy had been concerned about her first night in the tower. She meant it when she had told Thor that she was not ready to move in with him, and to her, that meant that they wouldn’t be spending every night in one another's bed. Would Thor understand that or would he try and insist on accompanying her to bed that night?

That evening in the tower everyone in residence was piled into the main common room. Word had traveled fast about Darcy’s afternoon and each of her friends had shown up to be sure she was okay after such the traumatic event. Darcy, for her part, didn’t necessarily feel like being social but she was willing to put up with it because she knew it would make staying on her own that night easier. Yawning, she checked the clock on the wall for the time before announcing, “Okay, I think I’ve had enough for one night. It’s time I go see if these Stark mattresses are all they’re cracked up to be.” 

Thor rose from his position beside her, hand cupped around her elbow as he bid his friends adieu. They’d entered the elevator before he turned to speak to her, “Darcy, would you like for me to stay with you tonight?” 

“No,” Darcy said as she shook her head. “I really just need some space right now. Can we meet for lunch tomorrow, though?” 

Thor smiled down at her, “Of course, Little One.” Darcy was buzzing herself into her new quarters now, Thor following shortly behind her. “Good night,” he said as he tugged on her wrist to turn her around and into his body, kissing her deeply. “I am glad you are safe in the tower,” he added softly when they separated, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” The door closed behind him and Darcy bolted it behind him as she let out a heavy sigh. 

The last time she’d slept in a brand new space of her own had been years ago now and she’d forgotten how hard it had been to get acclimated to the new noises. She hadn’t gone through anything similar when she started staying with Thor, his warm embrace and even breaths sending her into a deep sleep before she could realize she was vaguely uncomfortable. Now, however, she was immediately aware of the sounds of the city outside her window, the faint sound of footsteps from whoever lived above her. 

The bed was incredibly comfortable, though Darcy wasn’t too surprised by that. It was too bad she couldn’t seem to find the right position that would lull her off to sleep. Hours after Thor had left her door she snuck back out to the common room again, a book and a blanket tucked under each arm. 

Tucking herself up against the arm of the couch, she stared out the large windows admiring the twinkling lights of the city before her. Soon enough she opened her book to the right place and began to read. The next time Darcy looked up she noticed the sky outside was lightening, streaks of purple and pink streaming across the sky. 

“Friday?” she asked softly, “What time is it?” 

“It’s 5:13 in the morning, Miss Lewis. Should I get the coffee ready?”

“Gods, that would be lovely Friday. You’ll probably need to keep it brewing for me today.” 

Before the AI could agree, the door behind her began to open sending Darcy jumping into the air in surprise. 

“Darcy?” Thor called out as he rushed to her side. “Are you alright, Little One?”

“Ohmygods, Thor,” she panted as she stooped to pick up her book which had landed on the floor. “I’m okay,” she added once she had caught her breath, “You just startled me.”

“Miss Lewis, the coffee is almost ready,” chimed Friday from above. 

“What are you doing here so early this morning, my love?” Thor asked as he guided Darcy towards the kitchen. 

“I couldn’t sleep,” Darcy yawned. “The bed was too new, the room too empty.” 

Thor let her pour herself a large mug of coffee and take a deep sip before he responded. “You know you could have come to my bed to sleep, right?”

“Of course I know that, Thor,” Darcy smiled, “I just also know that I’ll never get used to the room if I run away to yours every night. I didn’t sleep last night, that should make it exceedingly easier for me to sleep in the room tonight.”

“Okay,” Thor nodded, “But if you can’t sleep I don’t want you spending all night reading again. You’re to come to my rooms, understand?” His voice had taken on the deeper tone that most often reserved for their bedroom and Darcy knew that she had no room to argue with him here. He was right, anyway, she couldn’t go more than one night without some decent sleep or her work would suffer. 

“Alright,” Darcy nodded. “If I can’t get to sleep tonight I’ll come to your place.”

* * *

They were lounging in Thor’s living room, Thor sprawled out across the couch with a book in his hands while Darcy watched him idly and wished she had any talent as an artist so she could capture the image forever. Instead, she was listening to music and trying with all her might to relax down into the leisurely weekend they had planned. 

Before Darcy could chastise herself more for her inability to relax on command, Thor sat up straight on the couch with a serious look on his face. “What is it?” Darcy asked, eagerly. Thor held up a hand in response, eyes darkening as they focused in on the wall across the room. Another moment passed in tense silence before Darcy noticed Thor’s shoulders drop infinitesimally, his hand coming down to rest in his lap. 

“That was a prayer,” Thor answered her question belatedly.  

“Oh? What for?” Darcy asked, her interest suddenly piqued. 

Thor smiled slowly, “Just a simple one for a good harvest.”

Darcy’s head tilted to the side as she considered his words, “But I thought Freyr was the god of harvest?”

“He is, but  I am the god for their household so they are asking me to intercede on their behalf.”

Darcy looked on curiously, “You can do that?” 

“I can,” Thor replied. 

“Are you going to intercede for them?” 

“I already have,” Thor smiled. “They shall know a bountiful harvest this season.” 

Darcy nodded, her questions answered for the moment, and Thor picked up his book to resume reading. Moments passed before she spoke again, “I’m sorry, it’s just...What’s it like when another god asks you to help their disciples?”

“Much the same as you just saw,” Thor commented. “I thought Friday was teaching you of the old ways?”

“Well, she helped me with all of the gods and goddesses, and Neil Gaiman helped me some with the lore, but I guess I didn’t ask any more questions after that.”

“Do you have any more questions just now, Little One?” Thor asked with a glint in his eye.

“No,” Darcy smiled coyly, “Not just now.”  

“Good,” he replied with a serious tone, “Granting requests always leaves me wanting.” Within two seconds he had Darcy up and over his shoulder as he stalked back to the bedroom. 

* * *

Days had passed since Darcy had witnessed Thor helping one of his disciples and still, she could not get the image out of her head. She’d been doing research, with Friday’s help, on the actually practiced religion of the old Norse and was not too surprised to find that it was resonating with her. 

Of course, she could believe in the polytheistic gods - she’d seen proof of them herself hadn’t she? And furthermore, she’d seen the way Thor had worked, had cared for those who prayed to him. Not only that, but she knew first hand how well Thor looked after those he cherished and she could not imagine devoting herself to someone more worthy. 

The change was subtle, nothing she spoke to anyone about or thought anyone would notice. Now where she would have muttered an “oh my gods” she was more apt to let out an “Oh, Thor,” or some other variant. She didn’t want to mention it to Thor, she wasn’t sure family gods could just be chosen the way she had chosen him and she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. She had a feeling it would come up when it was necessary. 

* * *

“I must admit,” Thor breathed into Darcy’s neck as he pushed her up against the entryway wall. “I quite enjoyed watching you dance tonight. You moved so beautifully,” he added while nibbling on her earlobe. 

“Ha,” Darcy huffed out a laugh and tilted her head to give Thor more room to work with, “Sure I did.” She rolled her eyes but for a moment she wasn’t sure if it was Thor’s statement or the press of his length against her stomach that caused it.  “One day you’ll learn to accept your compliments from me, Little One.” His hand came to the nape of her neck so he could hold her head still as he leaned down and bit into her mouth. 

“Yes,” Darcy whispered when he pulled away from her. “Thank you, Thor,” she added as an afterthought. 

“As I was saying,” Thor continued, lifting her up easily and moving further into the apartment towards the living room. “Your dancing tonight was so beautiful and free,” he kissed her as he lowered her onto the couch armrest. “All I could think about while I watched you was making you stay still.”

Darcy let out a low moan at his words, her body had been thrumming with desire since they’d gotten to the party earlier that night. Tony had hired paparazzi (because, of course, he had) and when they went to get a picture of Thor and Darcy he’d taken her in his arms and kissed her possessively, the hand furthest from the camera coming down to pinch at her ass while his tongue plundered her mouth for their lenses. Darcy hadn’t been sure what the kiss was about, but it had set a fire in her veins that Thor had been stoking steadily all night. 

“Do you want that, Darcy?” Thor asked her gently. “Do you want me to make you stay still, make you beg me to come?” 

Bucking up into him - he hadn’t told her to stop moving yet - Darcy smiled up at him, “Yes, Thor.” 

Thor moved back from the couch and stood tall above her, “Do you trust me?” His voice was different, not the normal commanding tone he used when they were playing but more raw and honest. 

“Of course,” Darcy answered, her eyebrows knitted together. 

“I want to try something new,” Thor said at the same time as he raised his hand to beckon Mjolnir. “Turn over,” he commanded, voice back to the deepened tone she was used to in these scenes. “Lay over the armrest,” he added with a lingering glance to the hemline of her dress. 

Darcy’s cheeks pinked with excitement as she followed his orders, knowing that the short dress would not cover much of anything once she was bent over. Thor’s hand traveled slowly up her thigh, fingers squeezing at the round globe of her ass before drawing back to give it a firm smack. He grinned at the wanton groan Darcy made before moving around the couch to kneel by her face. 

“Put your arms out in front of you,” he said as he helped her to position herself how he wanted her. “I’m going to place Mjolnir across your forearms, Darcy. You will not be able to move from this position until I allow it.” He brought the large hammer up and placed it over her arms, the head wedged between the back of the couch and her elbow. 

Darcy turned her head, noting that she had barely any range of motion before catching Thor’s eyes and smiling. 

“What’s your color, Little One?” 

“Green,” Darcy preened. 

“Good,” Thor smiled. “Just for now, in case I can’t hear you, you can also use numbers to let me know how you are, okay?” Thor chuckled when he saw both of Darcy’s hands dart out with three fingers raised, signaling she understood and was ready to go. 

Thor moved back to his position behind her and rucked her dress up her body, forcefully yanking her tiny panties to the side causing one of the seams to rip. “Mmm, you look perfect like this,” Thor said as his hand came down to slap a handprint onto her ass. The force sent Darcy’s body jolting forward slightly, though the movement stopped as soon as it reached her shoulders, her arms unable to move further up the couch. Thor could hear her moaning cries even with her mouth muffled against the couch cushions, “You like that, Little One? Shall I do it again?” He did not wait for her affirmative, instead, he pulled his hand back for another round with glee.

Darcy’s back arched against the armrest, her hips pressing down as low as she could get them, desperate for some friction against her dripping center. “Thor,” she cried, “Thor, I want you so badly!”

“I know, Little One,” he spoke softly, “And you shall have me.”

Before Darcy could blink at his response Thor had pushed himself into her. She hadn’t even been aware of him losing his pants but she could feel his hot skin pressing up against the spots of her ass that his hand had inflamed. Between her legs Thor was thrusting himself slowly into her wet channel, taking his time so he could enjoy hearing her frantic pleas. Once he’d gotten as far as he could he stood completely still reveling in the feeling of Darcy’s wet pussy clenching and grasping around him as she sought movement. He could tell she was trying faintly to push up on her toes but knew she had no room to move with his body draped over hers, “Stop struggling, Darcy,” Thor whispered into her ear. “I’ll make it better for you if you stop trying to move,” he continued to speak, one hand smoothing down her side as the other snaked around her front to press in against her belly.

He could sense the moment she gave up her fight more than he could feel it; her walls were still quaking against him involuntarily but the small movements that had challenged him moments ago were abated. “Good girl,” his voice rumbled in her ear just before he drew himself back and thrust into her with considerable force. Darcy cried out in pleasure as her torso surged up the couch, the movement stopping completely as soon as it had reached her shoulders. He pushed forward again, reveling in the knowledge that she would stay here like this, for him, for as long as he wanted. He stayed like that - rocking into her - for several moments, losing himself in the hot, wet clench of her and the delirious noises she was making, until her fluttering hands caught his attention, two fingers sticking out and waving eagerly as she moaned, “Yellow, yellow, yellow,” with each thrust.

“Darcy,” he stilled himself inside her, “Are you okay? What do you need?”

“I-” Darcy began as she tried in vain to push back against Thor’s waist.

“Stop moving,” Thor pinched her quickly to get her attention, “Tell me what’s wrong.”

There was a pause before Darcy began to speak again, her voice filled with uncertainty. Was she allowed to want what she was asking? “Can you move Mew Mew? Would you, rather?”

“That depends entirely on your reason for asking, Darcy,” Thor replied coolly, already planning out her punishment if she had made him stop for a baseless request.

“I- You just-” she started and stopped.

“Speak up, Little One,” Thor commanded, “I do not like to be interrupted and you will only make your punishment worse if you delay longer for a flimsy desire.”

“I keep almost hitting my head against Mew Mew when you thrust into me!” Darcy spat out all at once, “I just wanted to see if you’d be willing to move it so I don’t hurt myself!”

“You know I never seek to injure you seriously, Little One,” Thor said softly as he reached out to put a hand on Mjolnir’s handle, “And I will happily move Mjolnir to another spot as soon as you rephrase your question.”

Darcy sighed thinking back to the rules they’d initially agreed upon. Mjolnir was, after all, an extension of Thor and he expected her to bestow the proper respect for him whenever they were in a scene. “Would you move Mjolnir for me, Thor?” she tried, realizing that her silly nickname for his hammer wasn’t allowed here any more than her silly names for him were.

Before the sentence had left her mouth Thor was lifting the hammer and gently repositioning it on her back, the head resting on the small of her back as the handle lay up her spine. “How is that?” Thor asked as he gave an experimental thrust into Darcy’s waiting pussy.

“So good,” she moaned, propping her head on her arms and reveling in her restricted movement. “Green,” she added knowing what his next question would be before he could ask it. 

Thor wasted no time in resuming the fast pacing of his thrusts, pushing himself further into her now that her walls had stretched some. She could feel the tip of him bottoming out deep inside her, the pressure from his hand on her belly making everything more pleasurable. She tried to buck up against him but Mjolnir would have none of her movements, the heavy head of the hammer rested solidly before the cleft of her ass. 

Thor chuckled when he noticed the minute movement that indicated she was making an attempt at squirming beneath him, “This is more than I could have imagined tonight when I was watching you, Little One.” His free hand reared back to smack the side of her ass before he dug his fingers into her hip, carefully changing the angle without moving the hammer from its resting place. 

Darcy let out a keening moan, the sting from the slap followed by the warmth of his hand sent a dizzying array of pain and pleasure soaring through her, “Yes, please Thor,” she whispered, finally uttering the word she knew he’d been waiting for. 

“Please, what?” he asked, the hand at her hip moving up to tangle in her hair, pulling her head up so she could look at him. 

“Please, more,” Darcy begged, her eyes pleading with him from over her shoulder. 

Thor released her hair and watched as Darcy’s head bobbed back down to rest on her hands, “I don’t want to hear another word from you that isn’t please, Little One. And I’ll know if you don’t mean it,” he added with a light spank, an echo of the threat that always hung in the air during their scenes. Darcy’s mouth opened to respond but before she could Thor had raised his hand and spanked her again, “Ah, don’t forget,” he smiled. 

His hand left the press of her belly to grasp at her hip and reposition her but she was so dizzy with pleasure she hardly noticed. He’d dragged her body further up the armrest, one of his hands now fully supporting her weight as he pounded into her. She bit her lip as she struggled against her desire to let him know how wonderful he felt. “Do you want more, Darcy?” he asked with a grin. 

“Pleeeeaseee,” she whined and he picked up his pace, a near punishing rhythm before he suddenly slowed to a near stop. Darcy’s eyes flew open, swiveling back to glare at Thor while he continued to slowly pump himself into her. The drag of his head against her inner walls making her legs shake around him. 

“Don’t come yet, Little One,” Thor reminded her, another tease, they both knew she wouldn’t be able to come without him rubbing against her clit. 

“Please,” Darcy tried again, her bottom lip coming between her teeth while she waited for his answer. There was another smack against her ass, this one harder than the first two, her body unable to recoil against the force taking all of the power Thor had put behind it. “Ah,” she cried out at the sting earning her another sharp smack. 

Thor’s fingers danced over her reddened skin, overwhelming her nerves until she could no longer tell the difference between what was a pleasure and what was a pain. “Yes,” she whimpered with a smile, forgetting his command to stay quiet. 

“Well aren’t you just asking for it tonight, Little One,” Thor smirked as he pulled back, his dick barely inside of her and his hand raised to spank her once again. The combined pleasure of his thrust perfectly timed with the sting of his hand sent Darcy reeling into the floating space she’d entered so easily the first time he’d spanked her. 

He finished his forward push into her, burying himself to the hilt with a smile at the lazy grin that Darcy sported, knowing it meant she’d entered subspace. “Do you think you can come for me?” he asked gently. Darcy made an agreeable sort of moan, unable to vocalize but the smile on her face told Thor all he needed to know. The hand that supported her turned downwards, fingers reaching between her to circle her swollen clit even as he pulled back to thrust into her again. 

Seconds later Darcy was quivering around him, her walls clenching him tightly as her body shook with the force of her orgasm. His own orgasm followed hers closely, one pleasure calling out to the other until they were both satisfied. Thor stood up slowly and lifted Mjolnir off of Darcy’s back with care. He pulled himself out of her stooping to pick her up and carry her carefully to the bath. 

Countless minutes later Darcy hummed into consciousness, Thor’s hand softly dragging a bar of soap up her body as she lounged against him in a bath. “Are you with me, Little One?” he asked softly, “You don’t have to speak yet if you don’t want to,” he added when he saw her forehead wrinkle at his question. She nodded against his chest and smiled up at him while he continued to bathe her. 

“You were perfect tonight, Darcy,” he praised her. “You held Mjolnir well,” his fingers traced against the faint line on her back where the hammer had rested.  

“Does that mean I’m worthy?” Darcy asked with a smile a few moments later. 

Thor let out a deep laugh, “You merely held Mjolnir, you did not lift him. No, my love, you may possess the heart of Thor, but you do not possess my power.” 

Darcy smiled and burrowed herself further into Thor’s embrace, content to let him care for her while she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Darcy woke up slowly the next morning, Thor’s arm wrapped protectively around her waist and the blanket tucked up to her chin giving her no reason to move just yet. She turned over in Thor’s embrace, scooting closer to his chest so she could pillow her head against him. “Good morning,” she whispered softly when he stirred. 

“Good morning, Little One,” Thor replied. “Did you sleep well?” 

Darcy pressed a kiss to the smooth skin of his pec, “So well. I don’t really remember getting to bed?” she admitted, “I remember being in the bath, but that’s it.” 

Thor hummed, “You fell asleep so I carried you to bed. You needed your rest after our scene last night.”

Darcy’s cheeks pinked as she thought about the previous nights' activities, “I guess it was rather strenuous,” she admitted. 

“How are you feeling this morning,” Thor asked her, his fingers tracing lightly over the marks he’d made on her ass the night before. “Are you sore anywhere in particular?”

Darcy stayed silent while she surveyed her body, conscious suddenly of the small aches she had not been paying attention to before now. “My lower back muscles are kind of sore,” Darcy admitted after several moments, “And I’m not sure sitting down will be fun, exactly, for the next day or two, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“I never asked if you could handle it,” Thor smiled down at her before loosening his arms from around her body. “Come on, love, let’s get up and get some breakfast, then afterward I can rub down your back.” 

Darcy acquiesced, though more out of a desire to stay close to Thor than any real want to get out of the nest of bedclothes. Once they were in the kitchen, coffee brewing and a pan of bacon slowly sizzling on the stove, there was a chime from Friday. 

“Miss Lewis,” the AI announced, “I believe there may be some photographs of interest to you that were just posted online. Shall I forward you the article?”

“Yes, please,” Darcy called out as she sat down gingerly on one of the kitchen stools and pulled her laptop over in front of her. 

“THOR’S GOT A WOMAN?!” the headline read in bold text, the sub-title an even flashier “Move over, Hammer Honeys, there’s a new woman on the Thunder Gods arm.” Below the headline was a picture of Thor kissing Darcy that had been taken the night before. She gazed at the photo briefly before she cackled at the nickname the author had given Thor’s groupies. She forwarded the article to the rest of the Avengers, subject line: Lookout Hammer Honeys. 

Miles away from where she sat Ben was clicking through the tabloid websites when he paused at a headline. “THOR’S GOT A WOMAN?!” his eyes darted down to the picture below with his Darcy on that blond muscle-heads arm. Red flared behind his eyes as he skimmed over the rest of the article, tossing his laptop to the side carelessly when he was done with it. 


	12. Unwritten Songs Are Not Sung

“I’m booooored,” Darcy faux whined from her spot, tucked into the corner of Thor’s couch. She’d ‘temporarily relocated’ to the tower over a week ago and hadn’t left the enormous building since she’d stepped foot on the landing pad. Typically on a Tuesday night, she’d eat dinner and then watch tv aimlessly before going to bed, but she was going stir crazy now that she’d been inside for so long.  

“Would you like to watch a movie?” Thor asked, genially. 

Darcy sighed, “No. And I don’t want to read my book anymore; there’s nothing good on tv tonight anyway.”

“What if we go make dinner together?” 

“I don’t want to eat any of what we have to prepare,” Darcy pursed her lips, knowing she was being petulant but still too bored to moderate her tone. Thor’s eyebrow pitched up his forehead as he gave her a warning glance. “What if we went out to eat?” she asked eagerly, a smile taking over her previously sullen face. 

“Darcy, you know that’s not a great idea right now. The gala on Saturday is one thing, there’ll be plenty of security and Tony plans on having Iron Man sentinels patrolling the skies. Going out to an unscouted destination, though? I don’t like it,” Thor replied. 

“Right,” Darcy said, an argument already formulating in her head, “But you flew me here so Ben wouldn’t be able to track me after he knew I’d been at my apartment.”

Thor shook his head, “You think he can’t figure out that you’re most likely to be staying where you work, a place known to house employees and superheroes?” 

“No,” Darcy replied, “But he’s never once tried to do anything to me when he has seen me in public.”

“So what, Darcy, you want to taunt him now?” Thor asked, beginning to get impatient with her insistence. 

“No,” Darcy shook her head, “I don’t want to taunt him. It’s just that you’ll be with me,” she reached across the couch to take his hand. “I trust you with my life,” she added reverently.

“As flattered as I am by your faith in me, you know that I cannot risk you like that. We cannot go out tonight, Darcy,” Thor spoke with a commanding tone and Darcy knew the word was final. To continue pushing would just be ‘cruisin’ for a bruisin’’ as her mother used to say. Her face fell as his words settled, a deep frown settling on her lips. “Do not pout, Little One,” he continued, voice gentle now. “I know you yearn to leave the tower. Let me arrange something for us to do tomorrow night when I am able to plan for the outing and take appropriate security measures.”

“Okay,” Darcy said quietly. A moment passed before she spoke up again, this time with her normal gusto, “Want to make the ravioli for dinner tonight?” 

Thirty minutes later, Darcy was laughing as she walked the short hallway to the bedroom. Her shirt was covered in splatterings of pasta sauce after Thor had violently dunked all of the ravioli into the pot while reenacting a story from his childhood. She walked to the corner where she’d been keeping a small pile of clean clothes only to find it empty. Turning slowly, she surveyed the room for any sign of her clothing, finding none. 

She walked cautiously over to the dresser as though it was a wild animal she was attempting to appease. Very slowly she pulled open one of the middle drawers, gasping when she saw her clean clothes folded and tucked away inside. “Shit,” she thought to herself as she sank down to the floor staring at the dresser. After thinking back over the past week or so Darcy realized she hadn’t even slept in her own apartment for over a week, merely popping in to grab some clothes when she needed them before returning to Thor’s quarters. This had been exactly how she and Ben had ended up living together - granted Darcy hadn’t made Ben dresser space, he’d just moved some of her things out to make space for his own- just accidentally over time realizing that they were spending all of their time together and may as well make it official. 

Darcy grabbed a clean shirt, tugging it on as she tossed the dirty one in the direction of the hamper. She went to join Thor for dinner slightly haunted by the realization that even with her precautions she had basically moved in with Thor when she relocated to the tower. 

Later, when she was getting tired and beginning to doze off, Thor suggested they retire to bed. “Yeah,” Darcy agreed. “I think I’m going to go back to my room, though.”

“Is everything okay?” Thor asked, concerned. 

“Yeah, I just realized I haven’t really slept there in a while and it feels like I’m taking advantage of Tony’s hospitality by taking up space without really being there.”

“Ah,” Thor nodded. “Okay, I can join you. Give me a moment to pack a bag and we can leave,” he smiled. 

“No!” Darcy replied, “You don’t need to do that, I’ll be fine.”

“But Darcy,” Thor countered, “You weren’t able to sleep there before, why do you think that is going to change now? Let me come with you, you need your sleep, especially this week.”

Thor was right, Darcy knew. The gala was on Saturday and her court date for this mess with Ben was the Monday following that, not to mention all of the press and media she’d have to deal with in the lead up to and the aftermath of the gala. 

“If I can’t sleep I’ll come back up here, okay?” Darcy pleaded. 

“Promise?” Thor asked as he walked her towards the door.

“Promise,” Darcy replied, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss him. “Goodnight. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” 

* * *

“Where are we going?!” Darcy asked eagerly as soon as Thor opened the door to his apartment the next evening. She’d dabbled some concealer on to hide the dark circles under her eyes, and was hoping that he wouldn’t notice and realize she hadn’t slept the night before.  “Not far,” Thor replied as he locked the door behind him. “The pizza place down the block agreed to close up while we were there.”

Darcy wanted to grumble at the fact that Tony, no doubt, was paying a shop owner to keep a place closed when all she really wanted was a normal outing. Thor had obviously put some thought into this and it was for her own good anyway. They held hands as they walked down the block, Darcy’s head swiveling around as she took in all the sights and sounds of the city as though she was seeing it for the first time. 

Their dinner was quiet, it had to be with the restaurant closed to other customers, but enjoyable. Darcy insisted they sit by a window, though Thor did tug the blinds down in an attempt to block the view of Darcy from the outside. They were on the way back to the tower when Darcy felt the familiar feeling of eyes on her and her hand tensed in Thor’s. 

“What is it?” Thor asked, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her in closer. “Do you see him?” 

“Not yet, but I think he’s around,” Darcy replied softly. Thor picked up the pace of their walking while Darcy continued to cast her gaze around. “There,” she said, nodding her head towards where Ben was sitting at a sidewalk cafe just across the street from where they were walking. 

“Keep moving,” Thor commanded, “Don’t look at him.” Darcy had no trouble following his orders, her eyes were focused intently on the ground in front of her as she let Thor steer her through the sidewalks to the back entrance of the tower. 

As soon as they’d reached Thor’s apartment Darcy was pulling up the spreadsheet that was now kept on Tony’s secure cloud and making note of the incident. Tony had made some modifications and now whenever a new entry was formed her lawyer was automatically notified and all of the appropriate information was sent to NYPD to file an official report. She closed her laptop with a forceful click before curling into the corner of the couch. 

“Hey, come here,” Thor said, tugging at one of her arms until she allowed him to move her so she was sitting across his lap. “There are only a few more days until court and then this will all be over.”

“Maybe,” Darcy replied, “Or maybe the judge won’t give a shit and I’ll have to stay cooped up in this tower for the rest of my life.”

“We wouldn’t let that happen, Darcy.”

“Yeah,” she sighed, “I guess. I think I just want to go to bed. Thank you for taking me out tonight Thor, I’m sorry it had to end so poorly,” she scooted out of his embrace and stood from the couch, tucking her work bag over her shoulder. 

“You’re leaving?” Thor asked, surprised. “But I thought-”

“What, that I’d need you after seeing him? I’ll be fine, Thor.”

“Okay,” Thor stood from the couch to walk her towards the door. “I can see your mind is made up. But if-”

“I promise if I cannot sleep I will come back, okay??” Darcy nearly spat, suddenly desperate to be alone so she could wallow in peace without anyone trying to cheer her up. Thor leaned down and Darcy offered up her cheek to him before walking out the door without a backward glance. 

That night she hardly slept, but she was too stubborn to go back to Thor, especially after the way she had treated him. Instead, she tossed and turned until her alarm went off and she dragged herself out of bed for work the next morning. 

* * *

Darcy sat at her desk aimlessly picking at the salad she’d ordered for lunch, too tired to really have any appetite. She’d gotten out of bed with enough time to grab her emergency makeup bag from her bathroom counter and change into some fresh clothes, but that was about it. To say she was lagging would be an understatement. 

The sound of her door clicking shut startled her out of her daze. Casting her eyes upward, she internally cursed at seeing Thor looming above her desk. “Hi,” she greeted him with half a smile. 

“Darcy,” Thor replied, his tone firm, and Darcy knew that he’d noticed the suitcase-sized bags under her eyes despite the makeup she’d used in an attempt to hide them. “I came to see if you wanted to accompany me to lunch but I see you are already eating.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry,” Darcy shrugged.  

“It’s no trouble,” Thor continued on, “I have already made plans for us this evening, though, so I expect you to be at my quarters promptly after you get off work.”

Darcy bit her lip, already anxious about what punishments she’d earned from Thor. Between the lying about her lack of sleep and her behavior over the past few days, she was positive she was in for a doozy. “Yes, Thor,” Darcy answered finally. 

“Do not fear, Little One,” Thor comforted her, “You will be punished for lying to me about your sleep, but not tonight. I’ve had tonight planned for a while and I do not intend on letting a punishment spoil the evening.” Darcy nodded, uncertain about bringing up her behavior if he seemed to be ignoring it. “The dress you’re wearing to the gala, it is in the closet in your quarters, correct?” When Darcy nodded again Thor continued, “Do I have your permission to enter your quarters and gather your dress, along with the clothing you’ll need to stay with me through the weekend?” 

“Yes, of course, you do, but Thor-”

“Darcy now is not the time to argue with me about this. You obviously have not been able to sleep these past two nights you have spent alone in your rooms. You’ve told me you cannot sleep in unfamiliar spaces, and I know that you fear we are moving too quickly, but your sleep is important to your health and your health is important to me.”

Darcy stared up at Thor, his presence still looming above hers even at her own desk. The stubborn part of her wanted to argue with him about this, but she knew from past experience there was no use in even trying to persuade him once he’d made up his mind about something like this. “Okay, Thor,” she said, her voice stronger than she was feeling at the moment. “Friday, when Thor gets to my rooms, please let him in and show him where my dress for the gala is, as well as where I keep my makeup.” 

At Darcy’s words, Thor leaned over the desk to kiss her cheek before turning on his heel. “Finish your salad, you’ll need the energy later,” Darcy heard just before he walked out of the room. 

When her workday ended Darcy was surprised at how much energy she had, her legs tapping out a rhythm as she rode the elevator to Thor’s apartment. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what he’d said earlier, how she’d be punished for lying about sleeping, but he didn’t want to spoil the night with a punishment. Even though he’d not mentioned her behavior to him, she was still embarrassed by her petulance and the way she’d stormed off after Thor had been nothing but kind to her. 

Darcy knew one way or another she wouldn’t fully enjoy whatever it was Thor had planned for her without first getting out an apology which is why the moment his door opened she began to babble. “Look, I’m really sorry. Like, incredibly, incredibly sorry,” she said as she moved into the entryway and took off her shoes. “I was behaving like a brat and you deserve so much better than that.” 

“Darcy,” Thor began patiently, his hands reaching out to rest heavily on her shoulders, steadying her in her spot. “I appreciate your apology and your acknowledgment that you were behaving rather poorly.” He was guiding them into his bedroom now, Darcy’s hand tucked neatly into his arm. “I’m sure you’re wondering if you are to be punished for those outbursts as well?” 

When Darcy nodded he continued on, “No, Little One. I shall not be punishing you for that. I know you have been very busy with work these past few weeks, particularly this one as we lead up to the gala. In combination with seeing Ben on the one occasion you left the tower I was not surprised at your behavior.”

“You weren’t?” Darcy asked, separating herself from his arm and going to sit down on his bed. 

“I wasn’t surprised, no. That doesn’t mean I was thrilled with it. Still, your apologizing unprompted lets me know it has been on your mind. I accept your apology, Little One. Do not fret, you are not in trouble for anything tonight.”

His words were like a balm to Darcy’s nerves, instantly soothing down the constant bubble of anxiety she’d been feeling since she’d left his apartment the night before. Thor, evidently, noticed the tension ease from her. “Good girl,” he said as he crossed the room and went to get something from the closet. “I want you to strip and put this on,” he instructed her as he made a gesture towards the dress she’d be wearing the following night. 

“No surprises for Thor, huh?” Darcy grinned. When Thor’s eyebrow quirked up at her she stood from the bed and immediately began to stip. “You know,” she said once she was completely naked, “I was planning on wearing Spanx and a strapless bra with this.”

“Those won’t be necessary.”

“Like, tonight? Or in general? Because I’ve got some-”

“You won’t be needing any undergarments the night of the gala, Little One,” Thor answered her, voice firm. 

“Oh,” Darcy said quietly, her mouth forming a perfect o. “Alright, then.” She slid the zipper down the back of the dress and carefully stepped inside of it, tugging it up to her armpits and turning slowly around for Thor to zip her back up. She carefully situated herself in the bodice of the dress as she stepped forward and turned to face him. “What do you think?” 

Thor surveyed her slowly, his eyes lingering at the neckline of the strapless A-line dress before sweeping down the tight bodice to make note of the creamy white skin of her lower thighs which were just barely visible beneath the flowing hem. “You look beautiful,” Thor smiled. “Turn around for me?” 

His eyes made the same path from her shoulders down to the backs of her knees. “Alright, Little One, give me a good twirl like I know you’ve been wanting to,” he smiled and watched the loose fabric fly up a few inches around her legs as Darcy beamed at him. He reached out his hand to her and she stopped spinning to take it, gleefully laughing when he pulled her into his arms. “Thank you,” he kissed her sweetly as his hand moved to the top of the zipper. “We won’t be needing this anymore tonight,” he added as he helped her to step out of it before returning it to the closet.  

Darcy stood where Thor had left her, a puzzled look on her face, “Okay?”

“What did I tell you about fretting?” Thor chastised her gently. 

She tilted her head down, “Not to,” she admitted. 

“Do I need to spank you to get the message across?” Thor asked as he grasped her chin in his two fingers, pulling her face up to look at him. His tone had been firm, but Darcy was elated to see that he was smiling down at her with a glint in his eyes. 

“I wouldn’t say no to one,” Darcy smiled back teasingly. She waited a moment before she added seriously, “Look, I’m just really stressed right now so it’s harder for me to let go and sink down to where I usually am when we do this.” 

“I know,” Thor replied as he began to walk her back towards the bed. “Remember Darcy, I have had this night planned for some time. I anticipated your anxiety and have prepared for it. Now,” he added as he turned her around and bent her over the bed. “Stop,” there was a slap to her left ass cheek, “Fretting!” There was an accompanying slap on her right cheek before Thor pulled her upwards and turned her back around. 

“Alright,” he continued as he took note of the slight smile and the faintly dazed look on her face, “Do not make me remind you again, Little One.” 

“Okay, Thor,” Darcy nodded, “I won’t.” 

Thor sat on the bed and motioned for Darcy to do the same, “I want to establish a new rule.” Immediately, Darcy could feel herself breaking her word to Thor as she began to worry if the new rule was because she had done so poorly at following the original ones the last few days. 

“Ah,” Thor breathed out, tapping her cheek lightly to get her attention. “You have done nothing to merit changing our regular rules, this is just for tonight. I know how wound up you have been and I want to give you some relief,” he paused for a moment, letting the anticipation of his next words build until Darcy was sucking in on her lower lip. 

“Nothing I have planned for tonight will harm you or cause you unwanted embarrassment. You may always safe word if you do not want to continue with something, but I’d rather not hear any protests about what I do tonight, is that clear?” When Darcy nodded, Thor continued to speak, “Just for tonight, you may come as many times as you would like, without asking my permission.”

“Alright,” Darcy replied, already liking the sound of her evening. 

“Good girl,” Thor smiled at her, signaling the end of their discussion of rules, and Darcy felt her pulse quicken at the praise. He leaned in to kiss her, opening his mouth in welcome when she pressed her lips against his eagerly. Darcy didn’t hesitate once she realized that Thor wasn’t trying to take back control. She moved in closer to him and straddled his lap so she could get more leverage. 

“I think you’re wearing too many clothes,” she said, pulling back from the kiss to pull at Thor’s shirt. 

“Mmmm,” Thor hummed against her neck, “I forgot how fast you like to go when you get the chance.”

“Says the one who had me strip completely before we even started,” Darcy rolled her eyes before leaning back down into a kiss. Thor’s hands found her hips and held her firmly, not for control but to add for force behind Darcy’s own gyrations against him. She moaned into their kiss when he pressed his thumbs into the divots of her hips hard enough to leave a bruise. 

After letting Darcy get herself worked up for a few more minutes, Thor twisted around so that he could push Darcy into laying down on the bed. He leaned back and chuckled when she pouted at him, “I can’t let you get too carried away Little One. I have plans, remember?” 

“Oh, yes, your  _ plans _ ,” Darcy grinned, “Any chance you’ll tell me what they entail?” 

Rather than answer, Thor ducked his head and sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, tongue circling it teasingly. When it was hard he moved downward ever so slightly and began to suck and bite on the skin there, stopping only when he was satisfied there was a round purple mark where his mouth had been. He moved to the other breast, this time starting above the nipple with small, precise bites. 

“Thor, my dress-” Darcy began to protest. 

“What did I tell you about protesting?” he asked her, looking up at her from under his lashes. 

“Not to, but-” there was a quick slap to her thigh that caused her to gasp. 

“What’s your color, Darcy?” Thor asked seriously, though Darcy knew it was more of a reminder that she could stop this than anything else. 

“Green,” she sighed out as he sucked a larger circle onto the top of her breast. Darcy’s hands darted out, fingers of one hand threading through his hair as her other flexed against the smooth muscles of his back. She could always wear a shawl, she supposed. The entire point of tonight was to get her to relax, and she was doing a poor job of it so far. 

With that last reminder, it was as though a switch flipped for Darcy. She’d been struggling to let go of her anxieties the entire evening, but she didn’t have anything to worry about here with Thor. He had promised her as many orgasms as she could stand tonight, she may as well take advantage. When his head sank between her legs she finally let go of the last of her worries, her focus entirely on Thor’s mouth and the bites he was pressing to the inside of her thighs. 

* * *

When Darcy woke the next day her limbs were sore, as though she’d run a marathon the day before. She supposed in a way she had - after her first orgasm, Thor had challenged her to see how many she could have. Darcy was never one to back down from a dare so she’d pushed herself until her limbs felt like noodles and Thor had whispered to her, “Enough, Little One. You were my perfect, good girl, but that’s enough for now.” Darcy had turned in his arms and drifted off to sleep happily. 

The bed was empty now, though Darcy could hear the sound of running water in the bathroom. She shifted out from under the blankets and stood up, glad to see her legs were able to support her. Directly in front of her was a floor length mirror which caught her eyes immediately. Thor had left traces of himself all over her body last night, from the hickies at the tops of her breasts down to the large shadows of his handprints across her thighs. 

Quietly, she moved across the room to the closet and retrieved her dress for the gala that evening. She held it up to her body in front of the mirror and was amazed that every mark Thor had left on her body was covered by the fabric. She smiled, swaying to let the loose fabric flow around her before returning it to the closet. 

“There you are,” Thor called out to her from the closet doorway. “Come, I’ve drawn you a bath.”

Darcy blushed, “You didn’t have to do that. I could have just taken a shower and gotten out of your way.”

“You are never in my way, Little One. Besides, I retrieved your belongings last night, and I am not done with my plans.”

“Oh?” Darcy said as she followed him through the bedroom. 

“Your muscles are sore, are they not?” he asked as he motioned her into the bathroom. “Soak for a while, I’ll bring you some coffee.”

Darcy stepped into the large tub and lowered herself into the warm water, letting her eyes drift closed as she leaned back against the wall of the tub. “Am I in heaven?” she asked when the smell of fresh coffee drifted closer and closer to her. 

“I certainly hope not,” Thor smiled as he handed her a warm mug.

“Well, I’m being doted on and cared for by the most beautiful god, can you blame me for wondering?” she asked before taking a sip of the coffee. 

“Scoot forward,” Thor said as he stripped off his shirt and pants. “What do you say you spend all day in bed with me?” he asked, stepping in behind Darcy and settling himself in so she could rest against him. 

“You and I both know I can’t do that. There are interviews to deal with and then I’ve got to get ready for the gala. Besides,” she said as Thor rubbed his hands down her arms, “I don’t think there’s anywhere else you can mark me that won’t show with my dress.”

“You noticed?”

“I did, and if I wasn’t still so worn out from last night I’d be ready to go again just from looking in the mirror.”

“Mmm,” Thor hummed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, “Just wait until we’re dancing and my hands hit upon every one of your sorest spots.” His hands echoed the movements he spoke of, fingers tenderly pressing into the bruises at her hips where he had held on while slamming into her the night before. 

Darcy’s head lolled back on his shoulder, “Mmm, stop, I told you I’m too worn out and you’re going to get me all riled up.”

“Maybe that’s the point?” Thor teased, though his hands stilled and rested lightly on her skin under the water. They stayed like that in the cooling water until Friday chimed in with a reminder that there was one hour until Darcy’s first engagement of the day. 

“I should get ready, it’s a long day ahead of me,” she said as she rose from the tub and reached for the towel that was waiting for her. 

“I’ll see you this evening, Little One,” Thor smiled. 


	13. No Hope, No Solace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A gentle reminder that I believe in very happy endings before the start of this chapter.

When Darcy returned to Thor’s rooms later that afternoon she found her dress laid out neatly on the bed waiting for her next to a pair of lace underwear. “I thought you said no undergarments?” she asked when she found Thor in the living room. 

“It got you worked up, didn’t it?” he replied with a glint in his eye. 

“You asshole!” Darcy shrieked as she ran towards him and playfully hit his shoulders.  

Thor smiled and held Darcy’s hands in a firm grasp until she’d settled down, “Besides, you looked fantastic in the dress without a bra, I don’t think you need one. And I looked into these Spanx you mentioned - definitely not necessary. I’m quite fond of knowing the only thing that will be under that dress are the panties I picked out for you.” 

“Well, when you put it like that,” Darcy smiled before leaning into Thor’s embrace to kiss him. He reached behind her to grab at her ass and she backed away, “I can’t get distracted, I need to go shower and start getting ready.” 

“Well then go,” Thor said, smacking the back of her ass teasingly. Darcy hurried off to the bedroom and did not emerge until she was completely ready a few hours later. Thor had come in and gotten dressed at some point while she was in the bathroom and she found him lounging comfortably on the couch with a book in his hands. 

“You should wear a tux more often,” Darcy cooed at him from the entry to the room. “I didn’t think I could find you to be more attractive, but…” she trailed off with a dreamy look in her eyes. 

Thor stood from the couch in a fluid motion, setting the book down on the coffee table as he made his way across the room to Darcy. “There will be time for that later, Little One. Come, I told Tony we’d meet them for dinner.” 

The dinner with Tony and Pepper went quickly, though the multiple bottles of wine consumed surely helped the time pass. Before Darcy knew it they were in line to enter the gala, the bright flashbulbs from the cameras lighting up the night sidewalk like midday. She smiled and stood by Thor for a few photos before the cameras were more interested in group shots of the team than of their significant others. 

When they entered the hall where it was being held Darcy grinned. The swing band was already playing, there were several bars stationed around the room and already she could make out Clint and Natasha doing their survey-cum-dance around the room. Behind her she knew she’d find Steve with a small cluster of adoring fans - this time more of the political sort than the ones he preferred - with Bucky waiting somewhere close by. They scouted out their assigned table before Tony and Thor went to one of the bars to collect drinks for the four of them. 

“Brunette, 12 o’clock,” Tony said quietly to Darcy as he handed her one of the glasses of wine he carried. 

Thor raised an eyebrow towards her but she dismissed him with a wave of her hand, “Don’t worry about it,” she mouthed to him. It wasn’t long before Natasha and Clint made their way to the table, Natasha gracefully lowering herself into the chair next to Darcy. 

“Hard to believe a few months ago you were betting on who Thor would be taking home,” she said quietly once Thor was suitably distracted in a conversation with Tony and Clint. 

“Tony beat you to it,” Darcy rolled her eyes, “But yes, I guess you’re right. I’m glad I was so wrong though,” she smiled. “This is better than I could have imagined.” Thor had heard her, it was the only way to explain the way his hand found her leg and squeezed gently at her words.

Before too long Bucky had extricated Steve from the crowd and led them towards their table. Steve reached Darcy’s side just as one song was ending, “May I have this dance,” he asked with a small bow. 

Darcy’s hand was halfway to Steve’s before Thor cleared his throat, “If you don’t mind, Steve, I’d like to have my lady’s first dance of the evening.”

“Of course,” Steve smiled and stepped aside so Thor could lead Darcy to the dance floor. 

“I know I haven’t learned dances to go with this music the way Steve has,” Thor spoke into Darcy’s ear as he wrapped one arm around her waist and took her hand in his other, “But I didn’t want to miss your face when you felt this.”

Darcy’s mouth opened to question what he was talking about but before she could get words out she found herself being lead in a dance step. He had not learned full dances, no, but he had taken the time to learn how to lead into a proper swing dance twirl. The push of his fingers against the small of her back dug straight into one of the bruises he’d left on her the night before and she gasped in while going into the spin. 

“Careful,” Thor smiled as he stopped her from spinning too fast. “If you spin too fast those pretty panties will show and I may have some questions to answer,” he winked at her. 

“You did that on purpose,” Darcy smiled up at him. 

“Of course I did, but don’t pretend you don’t like it.” Once their dance was finished Darcy was cornered by one of the people she’d worked with to coordinate and organize this entire event. A new glass of wine was pushed into her hand and before she knew it there was a grouping of colleagues gathered toasting to a job well done. Thor had drifted off at some point, Darcy couldn’t blame him, and she excused herself to use the restroom and then go find him. 

Darcy was leaving the restroom, her eyes on the ballroom ahead of her when she felt a small prick at the back of her neck. She reached up to rub at the spot and before her fingers reached her own neck her vision had gone dark and she could feel herself collapsing. 

* * *

“Thor, have you seen Darcy?” Steve sat down at the table next to Thor. “I was hoping to get that dance with her.”

Thor turned to face him, “She was speaking with her colleagues a few moments ago. They were near the fountain, is she no longer with them?” He stood and cast his gaze towards where he’d last seen Darcy, his eyes widening when he realized she was no longer with the group of people still congregated there.  “I’m sure she’s just speaking with someone else,” Steve assured him as he started to search the crowd in the ballroom. “I’ll go ask her friends if they know where she went, keep looking,” Steve said before he walked off towards the group. 

Thor’s head was turning back and forth across the room searching out Darcy. It didn’t take long for Tony to notice something was up, with Thor’s head on a swivel and Steve doing his Captain’s March through the crowd. “Tell me what’s up,” Tony said as he sidled up next to Thor. 

“Darcy’s missing,” he breathed out as he continued to search the crowd. 

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Tony said as he pulled a pair of glasses out of his suit pocket and slipped them on. “Friday, find Darcy.” 

Steve came back before Friday had finished her search, “They said she went to the bathroom and then to find you. I checked the hall outside and there’s no sign of her. The lady coming out of the restroom said she was the only one who’d been in there.” 

“There’s no sign of her, Sir,” they heard Friday utter to Tony. 

“Fuck,” he whispered in response. “Friday, alert security then try her phone. Have the hotel shut down all exits, no one is leaving until we find where she is.” There was a rattle on the table behind them and all three men turned to see Darcy’s phone buzzing where she’d left it next to her water glass. 

Natasha and Clint sauntered up then. “You’re broadcasting your tension,” Natasha muttered, “Calm down unless you want to start a panic. What’s going on?”  

“Darcy’s missing. I’m going to go floor by floor and scan for her,” Tony told her before walking off. 

“She was last seen headed to the restrooms, Natasha can you go check them for any signs?” Thor asked. “Steve, talk to security and find out what they can do to help us.” Before anyone could respond to his orders Thor had turned and stalked to the balcony to stand outdoors. He knew that there would be no help from Heimdall, but he couldn’t stop himself from calling out to him anyway. “Heimdall, please can you tell me where Darcy is?” he asked

He stood silently waiting for a reply, knowing none would come but not able to stand to be inside when he knew Darcy was missing. Clouds were looming overhead, rumbles of thunder echoing across the city.

* * *

The ground was rumbling beneath Darcy, and when she tried to sit up she found that her hands were bound behind her, making it difficult. The room she was in tilted, causing her to tumble over into a wall, her back slamming up against a curved surface. She tried to concentrate so she could figure out where she was, but her head hurt and it was hard to focus on one thought for too long. 

There was a car horn somewhere and another jolting tilt of the room and Darcy realized she was in a van. Her instinct was to scream but she bit down on her tongue, knowing that she should use this time when she was awake and her attacker did not know to her advantage. There was no radio playing in the van, but if she listened closely she could hear whoever was driving muttering to himself.  The voice was familiar but Darcy was having trouble placing it. Something kept niggling at the back of her mind, a feeling she couldn’t shake that kept drawing her attention away from the voice at the front of the van. Her heart was pounding and she realized it was fear, she was terrified. All at once she realized exactly who was driving the van, who had kidnapped her from the gala. 

“Fuck you, Ben!” she yelled, unable to stop herself once she knew she was feet away from the man who’d been tormenting her for so long. 

“Dammit,” he spoke from the front. “That dose was supposed to last you to the wh-” he stopped speaking abruptly. “No matter, I’ll just have to give you another one.”

“Please don’t, Ben,” Darcy found herself saying unwillingly. She was finally beginning to feel clear-headed, she knew she needed more time to figure out what to do before he gave her more drugs. 

“It’s your fault, Darce,” he said and Darcy was glad he couldn’t look to see how she’d flinched at the name. “If you had just responded to one of my texts or taken one of my phone calls. I gave you so many chances!” He looked back at her, lying on the floor of the van with her arms tied behind her. “I even went out of my way to make sure you saw me whenever you went out, just in case you had changed your number.”

“You didn’t want me when you had me, why are you so desperate to get me now?” Darcy spat out as he made another sharp turn, this time sending her careening into the back doors of the van. She scrambled to her knees and shuffled forward to the best of her ability with her ankles tied. She fell on her face before she got very far. 

“I don’t want to hurt you, Darce. Stop moving around so much, it’ll be easier for you if you just lay still and wait for us to arrive.”

“Go fuck yourself!” she yelled as she struggled to pull herself upright again. 

“You’re wrong, you know,” Ben continued speaking, “I did want you when I had you, I just didn’t realize how badly I needed you, too. I know that now and I want to prove to you that I know how to be good.”

“So you’ve kidnapped me?” Darcy shrieked. “How on earth are you supposed to win me over when you start with drugging me, you asshole?”

The van came to a lurching halt, then Ben unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed into the back where Darcy was still struggling to sit up. “I didn’t want to have to do this, Darce, but you’re making me. You could have just laid down and stayed quiet, but now I have to make you shut up.” Before Darcy could reply Ben’s fist collided with her cheek and she fell backward with an audible thud, her head bouncing against the wheel well. 

“Oh fuck, Darce are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay, Darce. Are you there, can you hear me?” Ben was panicking, leaning over her body and feeling for a pulse. “I can’t believe you made me do that,” he said when he’d finally found her pulse. “I thought I killed you. At least you’ll stay quiet now, I guess.” 

* * *

The rough rope around Darcy’s wrists cut at her skin as she twisted in the restraints. She could feel her wrists turning red with each pass, the skin growing more irritated and breaking in some places. Her head was pounding from where it’d been hit multiple times in the van. Still, she couldn’t stop struggling, desperate to get free from the chair and as far away from Ben as she could be.

“It doesn’t have to be like this, Darcy,” Ben said cloyingly as he leaned into her space. “If you’d just see to reason I could untie you. We could be together again.”

“Fuck you,” Darcy spat in his face. “I wouldn’t go back to you even before I was with Thor. Now that I’m with an actual god? Ha!” She knew to yell at him like this was likely not in her best interest but she couldn’t help herself. There were two years of unspoken anger and snarky responses that had been festering. Now that he was here in front of her she couldn’t seem to help herself.

The smack of his hand against her face shocked some sense into her. She could taste blood in her mouth from the inside of her cheek. “Seriously?” she spat out some of the blood onto the concrete floor. “I can’t believe you’re adding assault and battery to the list of charges I can bring against you.”  _ Oh god _ , she thought to herself,  _ please someone find me. _

He’d been taunting her for over an hour since she’d woken up and found herself in the darkened room. She had no way of knowing how long she’d been unconscious or where she had been taken. For all she knew she was locked somewhere in Maine five days from when she’d last seen Thor or any of her friends.

“Ha! Even if they find me there’s no way to know what I did and what that monster of a man you’re dating now did to you. Did you think I didn’t see the bruises? The handprints he left all over your body? I can’t believe you’d let a man beat you like that, Darce. You were always so strong willed when we were together.”  Darcy stayed quiet, certain that if she spoke now he’d just continue to hit her and make it worse. 

“You’ll see,” he said finally, bringing a warm washcloth over to dab at the blood trickling down her face. “Once you’ve been away from that monster for a while you’ll remember how good we were. You’ll want me again, I know it.”

“You’re sick,” Darcy said, spitting another mouthful of blood in his face. 

“You’ll regret that,” he said before turning on his heels and walking out of the room, bolting the door behind him. 

“Please,” Darcy finally sobbed quietly, “Please, Thor, wherever you are. Please find me.” Blood from a cut on her forehead was pooling at the floor beneath her feet, tears disturbing the pool every so often. “Please,” she whispered again before passing out. 

* * *

Thor paced the control room in the tower, anxiously waiting for any news of where Darcy had been taken. It had been ten hours since Thor had last seen her, carelessly leaving her with a group of strangers even though he knew her safety was at risk. He grew more worried with each moment that passed without knowledge of her whereabouts. Was she safe? Injured? Alive? Suddenly he could hear her in his mind, the sharp feeling of a sacrifice tickling his thoughts. “Oh god,” a woman was saying, “Please someone find me.”

Thor recognized the voice instantly, his back straightening as he tried to pay more attention to what Darcy was saying. This was new for their relationship but Thor didn’t have time to analyze it just yet, his only concern that she’d somehow managed to make a blood sacrifice to him just now which could only mean one thing. 

“She’s bleeding,” he announced to the room at large. He’d not been lying months ago when he said a sacrifice would make him take notice, and now more than anything he wanted to grant Darcy’s prayer. He would do anything to find her, to ensure she was safe.

“Heimdall, she made a sacrifice, are you sure you cannot help me?” Thor begged openly at the same moment Clint was asking him, “Hey, uh, how do you know she bleeding?” on behalf of the team.

“Never mind that. We need to find her.”

“I’ve got something,” Friday announced, brightening a screen on the left of the room. A video played, the hallway outside the ballroom where the gala had been held. Darcy was exiting the bathroom and making her way across the hall when she’d raised her arm to her neck before dropping instantly. A man appeared out of the shadows of the hallway and picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder fireman style and making way towards where the service elevators were in the back of the building. 

“Friday, I want to know who that was and how long he’d be waiting there,” Tony called out to the AI as he walked over to another bank of computers. “Point me in the direction of the cameras we had on the exits while you’re at it.” The screen in front of him lit up as he got to work.

Five minutes later Tony was calling out, “Got her! Well, not yet, but I know how they got out of the complex. Friday, can we track that maintenance vans drive, see if we can get the plates?”

“On it, Boss.”

Thor’s pacing had become tighter and faster, his blood was pumping through his veins while the sound of thunder rumbled overhead. “ _ Please _ ”, he heard her say again, “ _ Please, Thor, wherever you are. Please find me.” _

“The plate belongs to a Ferguson Enterprises, Sir. I can’t find any record of what they do, but it looks like it’s owned by a Mr. Benjamin Ferguson. I’m tracking where they were headed now.”

“That fucking creep,” Tony yelled at the same time Thor smashed his hand down on the table in front of him. Moments passed in tense silence. Thor paced the floor and adjusted his grip on Mjolnir, anxious for any information about Darcy’s whereabouts he could get.

“When we find her,” he spoke firmly, “Natasha, you get her out and to safety. Tony, I want you with me in case he’s got anyone else with him.” No one questioned Thor’s taking point on this mission, the thunder claps outside the tower were threat enough.

“The car is parked here,” Friday flashed a location on the main screen. “It looks like they’ve taken her to the harbor.” Another location flashed on the screen, this one much more familiar to the members of the group - a dock filled with shipping containers and a tiny, dingy office in the back. 

“Can we get a scan for life, see if we can pinpoint where they are?” Steve asked at large. 

“There are too many people around, Captain,” the AI replied, “I have no way to distinguish Darcy from any of the other individuals there right now.” 

“We’d better get there soon,” Thor spoke, “I don’t trust that he won’t try and get her on a ship somewhere so we cannot find her.”

“I’ll get the jet ready,” Clint said as he strapped his bow across his back. “Nat and I can fly in behind you and Tony, Thor. Once we’re there you’ll be better off with some eyes in the sky than without.” 

"Bucky and I will stay here, make sure the van doesn’t go anywhere else,” Steve said with a glance to the brunet standing in the corner. 

“Suit up,” Thor called without a backward glance as he stalked towards the landing pad so he can Tony could take off. 

* * *

Darcy couldn’t be sure how long she’d been held in the dirty room. Ben had left what felt like days ago, but the pain she felt from the knot on her head (not to mention the raw skin from where she’d continually tried to slip her bonds) made it harder for her to focus and she had found herself waking in a dazed state more than once.

The cut on the inside of her cheek had closed up, which was more the pity. She was still proud of herself for remembering Thor’s words about blood sacrifices and how they had got more attention from him than any others. They hadn’t ever spoken about how he’d taken place as the god she prayed to if she was ever so inclined to pray and she hoped that Thor wouldn’t be troubled by the apparently sudden shift in her belief system. Even more than that, she hoped that he’d heard her, unsure of the specific rules for sacrifices and if bloodshed without death would count.

Above her head, Darcy could hear the shuffling of feet as someone moved around. It was the first noises she’d heard from her surroundings and she began to wonder where Ben had stashed her. Could she scream for help down here? If she did, was someone who would be willing to help hear her or would it just be Ben or some asshole helping him? She was busy analyzing the risk versus reward of screaming when she heard another scuffle from just outside the door.

There was the sound of two voices speaking now. Darcy abandoned her screaming theory in an effort to see if she could make out what the people in the hallway were saying. Before she could figure anything out the lock turned in the door to her room and the door opened up, a gun attached to a feminine hand was the first thing she saw. Natasha made her way through the door slowly checking for anyone else in the room before she made her way immediately to Darcy.

“Holy shit, I’m so happy to see you,” Darcy cried as Natasha ducked down to cut the bindings on her ankles. “Where’s Thor? What about Ben? He was waiting for me at the gala, I don’t know where he- Oh Jesus that hurts,” Darcy interrupted herself as Natasha pulled the rope from around her wrist taking small pieces of skin with it.

“Come on now, Darcy,” Natasha said calmly. “Tony is going after Ben, Thor is with Clint, they’ve got a first aid kit set up in one of the offices upstairs.”

“Where am I?” Darcy asked as she stood shakily on her feet.

“Your ex-boyfriend wasn’t the brightest,” the redhead smiled, “He registered his van in his own name and then left it parked directly under a street light. You’re at the harbor, our best guess is he was planning on getting you out to international waters so it’d be harder to find you.”

Darcy shook her head slowly, “Understatement of the year. This asshole thought I’d actually want to get back together with him if he kidnapped me, so . . .” Darcy trailed off as she followed Natasha out of the room she’d been kept in. “My wrists hurt,” she commented idly.

“You’ll need to be checked out by medical once we get back to the tower,” Natasha said. “I don’t suspect we’ll be here too much longer.” Natasha lead Darcy to the main floor of the old building. “Let’s get you seated somewhere fast, I don’t trust that you won’t pass out.”

Darcy opened her mouth to argue but they were halfway up the small set of stairs that led down to the basement and her head was spinning. “You may be right,” she said softly as she stopped walking to lean against the wall.

“When’s the last time you ate or drank something?”

Darcy shrugged one shoulder up, “I dunno. I had dinner with Thor and Tony before the gala but I don’t know how long ago that was.”

Natasha nodded, “It’s been about sixteen hours and you’ve been through a lot. Can you make it up the rest of the stairs? I can always carry you.”

“No, I’ve got it,” Darcy said, certain she didn’t want Thor to see her needing to be carried up the stairs less he make a bigger fuss over her. She took her time climbing the remaining stairs and was eternally grateful to Natasha for bringing a chair to her when she made it to the top.

“Here,” the spy said as she handed over a granola bar and a bottle of water that she’d sourced from thin air. “You need to get something in your system.”

She took small sips of water from the bottle, grateful to have the cool liquid to wet down her dried mouth. Before she’d managed to open the granola bar she could hear the thundering steps of Tony walking towards them.

“I couldn’t find him,” Tony was saying to Natasha as he turned the corner towards the office. Tony opened his mouth to continue speaking but whatever he was preparing to say was cut off as Thor opened an office door and caught sight of Darcy sitting in there.

“Darcy!” he called out to her, voice loud and echoing off the thin walls of the building. “Are you injured? Did he touch you?” He crossed the tiny room in a single stride, stopping to kneel down in front of where she is seated.

“I’m okay, Thor,” she assured him as his eyes searched her cut and bruised face before moving down one arm, stopping when he got to her red and scabbed wrists.

“You’re not okay, Darcy,” Thor said, voice stern but not uncaring. “Where else are you hurt?”

“The cut on her face has scabbed over, everything else is just bruising. The rope he had her bound with rubbed her skin raw on her wrists and ankles,” Natasha said quietly as she held up the wall by Clint’s office door. “She’s dehydrated and hasn’t eaten since yesterday, but other than expected symptoms from those issues, she is fine.”

Thor ran a hand tenderly over the wounds on one wrist before standing up and moving towards Tony. “Where is this baseborn scum? I would have him know what to expect should he choose to go after Darcy again.”

Tony was the first to speak, which was a surprise to everyone in the small room. “Hey there, Point Break, how about you escort Darcy back to the tower - I’ve got a car ready. She needs to be seen by medical and I don’t think any of us want her hitching a ride from a hammer right now. Why don’t we let the cops handle this one, hmm?”

Thor turned to stare at Tony, “Your lawyer friend assured us that he would take care of this and yet two months later we have still not been to court and this manchild has taken Darcy against her will and injured her! Tell me, why should I trust that these law enforcement agents will appropriately handle matters?”

“Hey,” Darcy spoke quietly, “I think you should listen to Tony. The lawyer got us a court date as soon as he could, besides I don’t think we’ll need it now once we find him.”

“She’s right,” Steve chimed in from over the comm unit, though Darcy couldn’t hear that. “The police are already tailing his van, Thor. He got away from Tony, but I don’t think he’s going to get very far anymore.”

“Can we go home?” Darcy asked meekly from her seat. Her head was beginning to swim again and she wasn’t certain how much longer she would be able to stay conscious.

Darcy’s request finally broke through Thor’s anger towards Ben. “Of course, my sweet,” he said tenderly as he leaned down to lift her into his arms. “Stark, your car?”

“Waiting outside,” he said before speaking to his suit. “Friday, let Happy know that Thor and Darcy are on their way outside.”

Natasha held the door opened for Thor, walking with them as they made their way to the car. “I’ll have the police contact Stark medical about taking her statement,” she said softly. Darcy’s eyes were closed with her head resting against Thor’s shoulder, her breathing even and indicative of sleep.

“Thank you,” Thor nodded to her and to Happy as he awkwardly bent himself into the car without jostling Darcy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow I'll be posting the final chapter as well as the epilogue! Thanks for reading and commenting, you've never failed to make me smile :D


	14. Unspoken Love Will Fade

“She’s resting now, you can’t go in,” the voice of a nurse spoke from outside Darcy’s room at in the hospital wing. Really, she was fine other than the bruising and cut on her face, the sores from the ropes and being shaken up, but she didn’t mind sitting quietly in the room with Thor, either.  “Really, I must insist she needs to know this information,” a familiar voice spoke. “If you could just -”

“Let him in,” Tony’s voice carried from down the hall. “Hold the door, I’m coming too.”

The lawyer entered the hospital room with Tony following closely behind him. “Miss Lewis, let me first say how sorry I am that we were unable to get a court date before this unfortunate development.”

“That’s okay, please just let me know what is going on now,” Darcy asked, squeezing Thor’s hand in hers. 

“You’ve made your statement to the police?” Rollins asked, continuing on once Darcy had nodded. “The police caught up to Mr. Ferguson without too much of a fuss. He has been detained and is expected to remain in custody until sentencing. Your persistent police reports of his stalking you provided sufficient evidence to hold him until then, and I suspect they will also make this case rather open and shut.”

“Thank you,” Darcy smiled at the older man. 

“That’s to say nothing of the information Mr. Stark uncovered and sent over to me. It seems Mr. Ferguson has a history of harassment that was hidden quite nicely until he found it.” Darcy glanced to Tony, made a single attempt to raise her eyebrow at him and winced at the pain it caused.

“What?” the genius asked, “You think I’m going to hear my best employee is being harassed and not try and get more dirt on the guy?” 

“Thanks, Tony,” Darcy said quietly before turning back to Mr. Rollins. “What about court?”

“You will be expected to appear in court to testify against him. I will be in touch with more information once a new court date has been determined. Until then, Miss Lewis, I am glad you are safe,” the lawyer acknowledged Tony and Thor briefly before shuffling out of the small room. 

“That’s a relief,” Tony sighed. “How you doing, kid?” he asked Darcy, noting the bandages on her head, wrists, and ankles. 

“Sore, but better now that I know Ben’s locked up. I should be getting out of here soon.”

“Great, I’ll throw a party!” Tony exclaimed, and Darcy could already see the wheels turning in his head for the plans. 

“Please don’t,” she said at the same time Thor was uttering a stern, “No.” 

“Darcy needs to rest,” Thor continued on, “She has no doubt had a very trying past 24 hours and I think the best thing, for now, would be going back to my quarters and allowing that.”

Tony sighed heavily, “Fine, go ahead, ruin my fun,” he said to Thor as he backed towards the door. “Glad you’re safe, kid,” he nodded towards Darcy before exiting the room and shutting the door behind him. 

* * *

Two nights had passed since Darcy had been released from the hospital wing. Two nights where she didn’t leave Thor’s bed, huddled close and safe in his arms. The wounds she had from the experience were healing nicely, she was keeping them covered and they hardly bothered her anymore. Still, the farthest she’d strayed from Thor’s quarters was to go down to her own for a few changes of clothes. 

“Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?” Thor asked as he stroked at Darcy’s hair while she lay on his chest. There was coffee brewing in the kitchen and Thor had hopes of getting Darcy to leave the tower today. “We don’t have to go anywhere crazy. We could just go to the diner?”  

Darcy smiled but shook her head, “No, I’d rather stay in.”

“You know he’s in jail now, Little One. He can’t harm you anymore,” Thor assured her. Less than a week ago she had been itching to leave the tower but now she had hardly left his bedroom. 

“I know.”

“Then why don’t you want to leave?” Thor asked her gently. 

“I’m just not ready,” was all Darcy could say. 

Moments passed in silence while Thor considered his next words carefully. He cared for Darcy so much and he could see how badly she was hurting. The last thing he wanted was to add more stress to her life, and yet he could not stop himself from asking her: “Would you like to move in here, with me?”

Darcy sat up in the bed so she could look at him, “Like, get my stuff from the room downstairs and bring it up here?” 

“And the things from your apartment, yes,” Thor confirmed. 

“Oh,” was all Darcy said in response. Her brows furrowed while she thought about what he was asking her. “Is this because I haven’t wanted to leave since Ben abducted me?” She realized how badly that could have come across as soon as she said it, but it was too late now. 

“Of course not,” Thor shook his head, reaching out a hand to Darcy. “This is because I love you. Your safety and comfort are second only to my selfish desire to be with you as often as possible.”

“I-” Darcy opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. “I don’t know, Thor,” she said finally. “I don’t know. I’m afraid. I want to say yes, but what if I’m only saying yes because I’m so scared right now?”

“Darcy, you made a blood sacrifice to me, do you not realize what that means?”

“Oh,” Darcy stared at him in shock, “You heard that?” 

“Yes,” Thor confirmed, “I heard you each time you prayed to me while he had you. I wouldn’t have heard them at all if you had not truly recognized me as your god. I think it’s safe to say that you wouldn’t be saying yes simply out of fear.”

“But that’s just it!” Darcy exclaimed, “What if, instead of fear, it’s because I’m so enthralled, so taken with the idea of living with my very own god? I can’t trust myself to make the right decision right now.” 

“Okay,” Thor replied, his eyes downcast, “Consider the invitation open.”  

“I’m going to go shower,” Darcy mumbled before getting out of bed and shuffling off to the bathroom. 

When she emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later she had a determined look on her face, “I want to go back today. To my apartment, to stay the night.” 

“Alright,” Thor agreed, “The one downstairs, right?” 

“No,” Darcy shook her head vehemently, “ _ My  _ apartment. You’re right, Ben’s locked up and he can’t get to me anymore. It’s ridiculous for me to be cowering here in your apartment when there is no reason for me to be so afraid. I want to go back to my apartment and stay there tonight. I want to prove to myself I can do it.”

“I’ll stay with you,” Thor offered her.

“No. Thank you, but I need to do this alone. I don’t want to go over just yet, but maybe this afternoon we can go? Air out the apartment and get dinner together?”

Thor hesitated, “Darcy, I don’t know that it’s such a great idea. Can I at least stay with you for this first night? In case you are scared, that way I’ll be close by?” 

“Thor, I love that you are concerned for me and my safety, but I need to do this. I need to prove to myself that I am strong enough to do this, and that means alone.”

“I don’t like it,” Thor commented, crossing his arms. 

“How about I promise you that I will come back if I get scared?” 

Thor scowled, “Like you promised you would come to my rooms if you couldn’t sleep last week?” 

Darcy could hardly believe it had only been a week ago that she had been doing this same thing, distancing herself from Thor for fear she was moving too fast. It felt like an eternity had passed between now and then, and although Thor had never punished her for her lies, Darcy was certain she’d learned a lesson from having done so anyway. “I wouldn’t do that, Thor. I was being stupid when I lied to you before and I regret it.”

“I believe you,” Thor sighed, “I just worry.” 

“I know,” Darcy smiled, “But hey, you’ll know it if I pray to you right? You can come swooping in to save the day?” she tried for light-hearted, but fell flat.

Thor scowled, “That is not how it works and you know it, Darcy. Do not make light of your commitment to me.”

“I’m sorry, Thor,” Darcy said solemnly. 

“We can go to your apartment later today, that is fine. I am still not comfortable with the idea of you staying there alone,” Thor admitted, “However, I know it is your choice to make and I will have to trust that you will let me know if you do not wish to be alone at any point after I leave.”

“Thank you,” Darcy smiled at him and climbed into the bed to snuggle up next to him. “Now can we just lay here quietly for a while? I need to stock up on my supply of Thor-hugs before I’m all alone tonight,” she teased as she tucked herself under his arm. 

* * *

Darcy climbed the stairs up to her apartment slowly, Thor two steps behind her. She rounded the corner to her landing with her heart pumping, though she couldn’t be certain if it was from adrenalin or actually having to use the stairs for the first time in weeks. No one was on the landing which relieved Darcy more than she cared to admit. She unlocked the door to her apartment and walked in as though she expected something to come out and jump at her. 

“Darcy, are you certain you’ll be alright for me to leave you?” Thor asked, following her inside before bolting the door. 

“Fine,” Darcy smiled tentatively at him. “I was just scared there would be a colony of rats living here now,” she covered easily as she made her way over to a window to let some fresh air in. “Besides, you’re not leaving just yet, right? I was thinking we could order in from that Thai place, I haven’t had it in so long.” 

“Of course,” Thor smiled, though he wasn’t satisfied. “I will stay as long as you’ll have me, Little One.”

The evening passed by quickly. Darcy was a tornado of energy, whirling around the apartment to clean it up and make it look like someone lived there again. At least, Thor thought, she would be moderately tired tonight anyway. She was nodding off in his lap - he’d forgotten how small her couch was - when he kissed her gently. “You should get to bed, you can’t sleep until 5 minutes before you’re expected to be in the office tomorrow.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Darcy yawned as she stood up. “Thank you for being so understanding, Thor. I really appreciate it.” 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay tonight?” he asked again. 

“Positive. If I cannot sleep or I get scared I will let you know,” Darcy assured him as she walked him to the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she smiled as she stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss while Thor stooped to greet her. 

“Goodnight, Little One,” Thor whispered, “Sleep well.” 

The door closed with an air of finality Darcy hadn’t been prepared for. She quickly bolted the door and made her way back to the living room to make herself comfortable on the couch. Scrolling through her phone while huddled in a blanket she heard footsteps in the hallway and tensed, her heart pounding in her chest even as she reminded herself that Ben was in jail and there was no need for her to be scared. 

She counted her breaths and willed herself to calm down, getting up and moving to the bedroom where she would be less likely to hear outside noise. She had been so tired not long ago when Thor had been there, she just needed to tap into that calm and she was certain she’d fall asleep. 

She was drifting off, finally, her breathing had evened out and she could feel sleep calling to her. Just as she reached the edge of consciousness she heard the rustle of something in the living room and froze. Darcy tried to convince herself it was just her imagination, but before she had succeeded she heard the rustle again. She considered cowering under her covers until it went away and was preparing to do just that when she remembered she’d left the windows in the living room and kitchen on and the stack of papers must have been caught in a cross breeze. Getting out of bed, she marched into the living area and slammed all of the windows closed before returning to her warm cocoon. 

She began the process over again, counting her breaths as they passed by and trying to lull herself into a calm state of mind so she could sleep. Twenty minutes passed and although she was calmer than before she was no closer to sleep. Ten minutes went by, and she was staring at the wall connecting the dots between the nail holes from the previous tenant.  After another laborious twenty minutes, Darcy sat up in bed, furious with herself. She couldn’t seem to relax, her brain on alert for any noise that seemed out of place. No matter how she tried she couldn’t seem to calm down, and though she knew she wanted to prove to herself she could do this, Darcy knew she needed to go back to the tower. 

Maybe, she thought, she could just go back to the tower and sleep in her own apartment. Perhaps the knowledge that no one without a security clearance could get past the lobby of the tower would help to ease her mind. She shoved the blankets off of her and changed into a pair of jeans, confident she had pajamas at the tower somewhere. 

There were two ways to get to the tower at this hour, three if she counted calling Thor and having him bring her, but if she wasn’t able to stay in her apartment alone she needed to at least prove she could get to the tower unaided. Darcy could walk or hop on the subway for a few blocks and she considered her options as she locked up her apartment and made her way down the stairs. 

If she took the train she could sit in the back corner and monitor the people, she’d feel more comfortable knowing no one could come up behind her. Still, there was no telling if the trains were on schedule and having to wait in a closed-off space underground for an indeterminable amount of time was not appealing in the least. She opted for a brisk walk to the tower, even knowing it would take longer. Just before she pushed opened the door to the street she considered something, “Friday,” she spoke into her cell phone, “I’m on my way to the tower. If I don’t make it in thirty minutes can you alert Thor?” 

There was an affirmative chirp from her phone followed by the message, “GPS tracking: On.” Knowing that there was something in place should she go missing, she pushed open the door to the street with a renewed sense of confidence. 

Five minutes into her walk that confidence was wavering fast. Was someone following her? If she glanced over her shoulder too many times they’d know she was onto them, maybe it would accelerate their plans to grab her. Would the police even let her know if Ben had escaped? What if those eyes she felt were his, waiting in an alley up ahead? She cursed realizing she’d left her taser at the tower; if she had it she could probably get whoever was following her before they got close enough to touch her. It wouldn’t prevent someone drugging her with a blowdart, but maybe it would be something. Maybe it would be enough to save her. 

_ Too late now _ , she thought as her pace quickened, there was no way to know if a taser would help her now. The lights of the tower were blazing ahead of her if she could just make it one more block she’d be in view of the towers cameras. Friday would know to alert Thor and they would know to check the footage to see evidence of what happened. 

The feeling that someone was watching her had ebbed and flowed with her walk, never gone long enough for Darcy to relax. By the time she reached the entrance to the tower, her heart was stammering in her chest and she was slamming her entry badge against the reader with a force far greater than necessary. The doors opened to let her in and she made straight for the security desk, “Close the doors!” she was shouting at them. “Don’t let anyone in behind me!” 

“Ma’am?” the desk attendant said once she’d reached them. “Are you alright?” He glanced down at the computer screen in front of him, “Miss Lewis?” 

“Someone,” Darcy gasped, “Was following me.” 

“Oh? I didn’t see anyone,” he commented kindly. “I’ve been watching the front walk, saw you making a beeline for the doors a block away but I didn’t see no one behind you. Are you sure you’re okay, Miss Lewis?” 

Darcy stared ahead in shock, still catching her breath. “No one,” she panted, “No one was behind me?” 

“No, ma’am. Not that I saw.”

“But,” she motioned to the water cooler behind the security desk, “I swear I felt someone watching me. I thought I heard their footsteps.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, ma’am,” the man said as he handed her a paper cone of water. “You sure looked like someone was after you, but I couldn’t see no one behind you.”

“Okay,” Darcy said as she crumpled the paper cup in her hands. “Well, thanks anyway. I appreciate it.”

“Can I call someone for you?” the guard asked even as Darcy was turning away from the desk. 

“No, thank you though. I’ll just be going to my apartment,” Darcy called out as she crossed the lobby to the elevators. 

Once inside her own apartment, she drank another two glasses of water, parched from her brisk walk through the city and her inability to stop hyperventilating once she got inside. There was a soft chime from overhead, “Should I let Thor know you are here?” Friday asked. 

“No,” Darcy called with her head tilted towards the nearest camera, “I’m going to try and sleep here tonight, Friday. Thank you, though.” She headed towards the bedroom that she’d seldom slept in, changed clothes, and crawled under the covers. 

She was safe. No one had been following her and no one without a badge could get in the tower at this hour anyway. There was no reason for her to be so afraid. She kept repeating those facts to herself until finally, her thoughts had slowed for the first time in hours. She lay in bed, grateful for the knowledge that she was safe, and tried to sleep. 

Twenty minutes passed and this time her thoughts were no longer racing, but she found herself missing the warm press of Thor’s body against hers. Instead of sulking, Darcy turned her extra pillow sideways and cuddled up against it, trying in vain to pretend that it was Thor’s chest she was laying on top of. Another fifteen minutes passed and still, her thoughts were calm but she couldn’t get comfortable enough to sleep. 

Now Darcy felt like she was stuck in a battle of wills between herself. Could she force herself to sleep, proving to herself that she was strong and wasn’t relying on Thor? How long was staying in this bed, wide awake, condonable and when did it cross the line into breaking her promise to Thor? The more she lay in bed the more worked up she got, constantly turning the questions over in her mind and examining them from all angles. 

She yawned, her mouth opening so large that it hurt her, and all Darcy wanted at that moment was to be able to sleep. She didn’t care that it meant crawling back to Thor and admitting defeat if that also meant she’d finally be able to stop the madness of tossing and turning for hours she was willing to do it. 

Throwing back the blankets she shoved her feet into the sneakers she’d worn to the tower, not bothering to tie the laces. “Friday, is Thor awake?” 

“No, Miss Lewis. Should I wake him?” 

Darcy sighed, “Yeah, I guess. Let him know I’m on my way up.” 

When the elevator doors opened Darcy found Thor waiting for her, bare-chested with his sweatpants hung low on his hips. “What happened?” he asked, his arms opening to welcome her as she fell into his embrace. 

“I couldn’t sleep,” Darcy shuddered, “I tried so hard, but I couldn’t do it and I’m a failure.”

Thor didn’t respond, instead wrapping one arm around her shoulder and walking her towards his apartment. Once they were inside Thor ushered her to the bedroom, only speaking once she had settled into her side of the bed. “You are not a failure, Little One. You are strong and brave, for sure, but never a failure.”

“I am though,” she said, turning to face him as he got into bed as well. “I can’t even stay the night alone without freaking out. Hell, I can’t even walk from my apartment to the tower without being positive someone is following me,” Darcy cried, holding her head in her hands. “I’m pathetic.” 

“Darcy,” Thor spoke with a stern tone as he lifted her hands from her face. “Look at me, Little One.” When Darcy finally lifted her head to look at Thor he continued to speak, “You were brave to try and stay by yourself tonight, especially in your own apartment.”

“Yeah, but-”

“No, do not interrupt me. Not only were you brave enough to try and do it even though you knew it would not be easy, but you were strong enough to recognize when you needed to give in. Can’t you see that?” Thor asked her, his thumb stroking soothing circles on the top of her hand. 

“I should be able to spend the night by myself,” Darcy countered. 

“You haven’t slept in a bed alone for a month at least,” Thor said gently. “Sure, you tried a few times but how much sleep did you really get?” When Darcy stayed quiet Thor continued, “That’s what I thought. Darcy, it’s no surprise that you couldn’t sleep, you tried to sleep in a place that you knew to be unsafe. It’s only been a few days, it’s natural that you’d still be scared.”

“But even when I was in the tower I couldn’t sleep and I knew there was no way someone could get to me there,” Darcy continued to argue with him, still convinced she had failed. 

“Darcy, aren’t you listening to me?” Thor asked, the crack of impatience showing ever so slightly. “You haven’t slept alone in how long? You’re used to my presence, it’s okay. It took me an hour to fall asleep tonight without you here.” 

“Yeah, but you were still able to do it,” Darcy said with a pout. 

“I also hadn’t made a promise to someone that I wouldn’t stay up all night in a stubborn attempt to prove myself,” Thor said with an eyebrow raised. 

“Touche,” Darcy groaned, scooting down into the bed. “Can we just go to sleep now and debate if I’m a failure in the morning? I’m exhausted.”

“Of course, Little One,” Thor smiled as he tucked himself around her form. “But you should be kind to yourself in your dreams. You are not a failure no matter how you may feel like one right now,” he whispered into her hair. Before long both of them were sound asleep.

* * *

Darcy woke up warm and safe in Thor’s embrace. She felt well rested even though she’d spent half her night awake and anxious. Now that light was streaming in through the window and her panic had subsided, Darcy began to wonder why she was fighting moving in with Thor so much. She loved waking up this way, couldn’t deny the fact that once she had been ensconced safely in the tower last night all she could do was mourn the loss of Thor’s warm presence.

Was it so bad to want this every day? She thought back across the memories of her relationship with Ben and how starkly it contrasted to the one she had with Thor. She’d been so young when she’d first met him and now that she had distance from the relationship - not to mention one with real, shared love -she could see that she had wanted to be in love so badly before she met Ben that she had been destined to fall. After the relationship had ended she had been too proud to admit that she had seen the flags, or maybe hindsight was 20/20. Either way, she’d been wrong when she’d insisted to everyone that their relationship had been perfect and she could see that so clearly now. 

Thor had been so incredibly patient with her as she was working through her issues with being in a relationship again, particularly one in which her ex-boyfriend was actively stalking her. He’d asked her about moving in with him no less than twice now, but both times had graciously accepted her decline and hadn’t let that change the way their relationship functioned. Darcy could think of more than one ex who would have gladly held that guilt over her head to manipulate her and smiled when she realized how incredibly lucky she was. 

“What has you smiling so early, Little One?” Thor asked gently, sweeping the hair from Darcy’s face so he could look at her. 

“Just thinking about how lucky I am,” she replied. “You know that question you asked me yesterday?” 

Thor turned on his side and propped himself up with a hand, “I asked you several questions yesterday, Darcy.” He had a cheeky grin on his face, a glint of mirth in his eyes. 

“Oh, like you  _ don’t  _ know what I’m talking about,” Darcy rolled her eyes. 

He leaned forward and kissed her, letting his lips linger for a second too long before adjusting so he could look in her eyes. “Darcy, would you like to move in here, with me?”  Her grin now matched his, though the glint in her eyes was more from the unshed happy tears than mirth. “Yes, of course, Thor, I’d love to!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue to go up later today


	15. Untie the Knots of Your Fear

A month had passed since Darcy had moved her things out of the small apartment she’d lived in since moving to New York. A month of waking up with Thor’s arms around her, of making dinners together, and of sweetly passionate trysts. Each day that Darcy woke up she wondered again why she had fought this so hard, how she could have ever thought that a relationship with Thor could be anything like one with any other man. She supposed it didn’t hurt that Thor wasn’t a man, to begin with, but she wasn’t going to hold that against him.

The thing was, it had also been a solid month of completely vanilla and tame sex. Still mind blowing, just not nearly as exciting as she’d grown used to. Darcy had understood it at first, she was still beaten and bruised from her time with Ben and she couldn’t blame Thor for not wanting to push her any further. Now, though, there was an itch under her skin that she couldn’t seem to scratch. She needed Thor to dominate her again or she would go crazy. 

“Thor,” Darcy moaned out, her hands stretching up to the top of the headboard, “Thor, please.” 

“Not yet, Little One. Be patient,” he cooed at her from where his mouth was toying with her nipple. 

“No, Thor, please,” she continued. “I need, I need,” she stammered as her hands flailed around the top of her head looking for purchase. “Hold me down,” she finally got out, “Please, Thor, just hold me down.” 

She hadn’t even completed her request when Thor’s large hand reached up to the headboard to grab at both of her wrists, easily squeezing around them both and holding them to the mattress. “Is that what you wanted, Darcy? To be held down and forced?” 

She let out a loud moan, pleasure coursing through her at finally getting what she had wanted. Thor’s hand tightened around her wrists as she wriggled in them, his fingers pressing into her skin as she turned her wrists in a show at struggling. The skin on her right wrist tugged and pulled, Thor’s fingers preventing it from moving freely. 

Just as soon as the pleasure had begun to course through her veins, an icy panic set in. Darcy was no longer in bed with Thor above her, instead, she was back in the dirty office with her hands tied and bleeding from her struggle to get out. The moan that was still on her lips turned to a shriek, words lost to the panic that was overtaking her body. Some part of her deep down knew there was a word for this, something she could say that would make it stop, but she couldn’t get her mind to cooperate, could only focus on the feeling of blood dripping down her wrists from where she’d torn her skin trying to get loose and her heart hammering in her chest. 

Thor was off of the bed and standing next to her before the shriek had died in the air. “Darcy, you’re okay. You’re here with me,” Thor said reassuringly as he brushed sweaty strands of hair from her face. Her chest was still heaving, her breaths coming in pants as she listened to Thor’s reassuring voice. She was safe with Thor. Her wrists weren’t damaged and she was safe in bed with Thor.  He kept talking, his calm tone repeating where she was and that she was okay until her breathing was back under control. “Are you with me now?” Thor asked gently, wiping at the sweat on Darcy’s forehead. 

“Yeah,” Darcy said softly, sitting up in the bed and tucking her knees under her chin. “I’m sorry, Thor,” she added, not willing to look at him. 

“Hey,” Thor said softly as he said down on the bed in front of her. “You don’t have anything to apologize for, you did nothing wrong.” Darcy’s shoulders shrugged up in implied acceptance. “Sweetheart, look at me,” Thor implored, only speaking again when Darcy had finally glanced up. “What do you think you did wrong?” 

Darcy shrugged again, “Do we have to do the post mortem about this right now? I’m exhausted suddenly,” she yawned. 

“No,” Thor sighed this time, “No, we don’t have to discuss this right now, but we will be discussing it tomorrow morning, Darcy. You did nothing wrong, alright?” He waited until he heard a grunt of acknowledgment from Darcy before he pulled back the blankets and helped her settle in underneath them. 

* * *

Darcy woke up slowly, thankful it was a Saturday and she was permitted to sleep in. She could smell coffee brewing in the kitchen and smiled thinking about how Thor must have gotten up a few minutes before her to start brewing a fresh pot. As soon as she thought of Thor the smile faded as she remembered the previous night and how they had left her freak out unresolved. 

Sometimes when Darcy was worked up about something, insisting Thor was wrong about something that had just happened, sleeping allowed her to get a clear head and to see where Thor was coming from. Unfortunately, this morning was not one of those times. When she remembered what happened the previous night she couldn’t help but start to panic a little again. 

She’d begged Thor to hold her down, asked him more than once to do it to her, and then as soon as he complied she had a panic attack. How was that not her fault? How could he possibly think she hadn’t done anything wrong when she was the one who had asked for it? A chill ran down her spine at the next thought - how could Thor want to stay with her if such a large facet of their sex life was now barred to them? 

She turned over in the bed burrowing her head into the blankets while she considered the facts. She’d asked Thor to restrain her, something he probably didn’t even want to do given that she had to beg him. Then instead of enjoying it, she had a panic attack and hadn’t even been able to safeword to get out of the situation. She couldn’t talk about it afterward the way Thor liked to, another strike against her. 

If she had a panic attack at being restrained, what else would send her into a panic? Was it even safe to continue to play the way they had before the abduction? What if she had a panic attack every time they tried to have sex? Worse, what if Thor, noble to a fault, stayed with her out of obligation to her when he wasn’t happy? Would he cheat on her the way Ben had? Would he grow cold and distant?  Darcy had tears in her eyes as her mind raced through all the myriad outcomes. Soon she had figured out what she had to do, she just wasn’t happy about it. She gave herself another three minutes to collect herself, to calm down and dry her tears, before she would go out to the kitchen to talk to Thor. 

As much as she hated it, she knew there was no way to hide her bloodshot, watery eyes from Thor. Just as predicted he noticed the moment she walked into the kitchen. “Little One, what is wrong? Did you have another panic attack?” he asked, his voice filled with concern as he crossed the space to stand in front of Darcy. 

“No,” Darcy sniffled, moving past him to get a mug of coffee and stall for time. She settled herself at the kitchen bar and took a careful sip of the hot liquid before she spoke again. “I’ve just been thinking about last night-”

“I know you were concerned it was your fault, Darcy, but you need to know that simply isn’t true,” Thor spoke patiently. 

“But I begged you to hold me down, I asked you to and you did it and I had a panic attack. It wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t wanted something you weren’t willing to give!” 

Thor shook his head, “My love, did I even hesitate for a second when you asked me? What makes you think I was unwilling? I shouldn’t have forged ahead like that knowing what you’ve been through. I am the one who is at fault, it is I who is supposed to take care of you in this relationship!”  

“It doesn’t matter whose fault it was, Thor,” Darcy said, eerily calm. “What matters is that I had a panic attack when we tried something that used to be a regular facet in our lives. I can’t participate in,” she paused, unable to say the next words without first taking a large, heaving breath. “I can’t participate in the type of sex life you want and need, so I think it’s probably best if we just break up now before-”

“Before what, Darcy?!” Thor spoke loudly over her.

“Before you decide to get it from somewhere else. Before I fall in love with you more and my heart breaks when you inevitably leave me for someone better. Before-”

“Darcy!” Thor nearly yelled, “Enough!” 

Silence echoed through the kitchen after Thor’s outburst. Darcy gripped her coffee mug, knuckles white, and cast her eyes to the ground. 

“It pains me to know that you think so little of me,” Thor finally spoke several minutes later. His voice was calm and quiet, setting Darcy more on edge.“That I would leave you over something so trivial as being unable to restrain you. To speak nothing of the pain at knowing you believe that I would sneak around on you, fool around with others without telling you.” 

There was a beat of silence before Thor continued to speak, “No, this has nothing to do with me does it? You wouldn’t think so little of me, your chosen god, would you? You think you are not enough to hold my attention. That you alone could not make me happy and that we would need to have this lifestyle to make it work together.” Darcy finally looked up and met his eyes, unwilling to speak and acknowledge how right he was. 

“Well,” Thor spoke again, this time gently, his eyes filled with care and concern, “You’re wrong. You, Darcy, are what makes me happy. You are what I look forward to coming home to every day. Not rough, kinky sex. You.”

“But-”

“No, Darcy. No buts,” Thor continued. “I love you and you alone.”

“I know!” Darcy exclaimed, “I know you love me, I do. But I also know you love being able to control me and you can’t do that anymore.”

“Is that what this is about?” Thor asked her, near incredulous. “Do you believe that I do not have other ways of controlling you than tying you down to make you submit?” 

Darcy didn’t know how to respond, she was still struggling to accept that Thor did not seem to see what was clearly written on the wall. She bit her lip, drawing in a shaky breath, before speaking. “It’s the one you use most often,” was all she could manage to say. 

Thor sighed, “Okay, Darcy. I can see this is going to take some demonstration, isn’t it?”

Darcy shrugged, “I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

“ Well, give me a day or two to come up with something and I will show you how I can dominate you without restraints. Without causing you any physical harm at all. Okay?” 

“Sure,” Darcy replied, “But what happens if it doesn’t work?” 

“We can address any issues as they arise, okay? But you have to let me know as soon as you’re starting to get uncomfortable,” Thor assured her. 

Darcy sighed, “I’m just worried cause I went from perfectly fine to Not Fine with no time between them. What if it happens again?”

“Then we’ll just keep trying new things until we find something that works for us, Darcy. I’m not going to leave you over something so trivial as this.”

“Okay,” Darcy acquiesced, “We’ll do things your way.” 

“See,” Thor smiled softly, “You’re already following my wishes, no restraints necessary.” When Darcy rolled her eyes in response Thor knew the worst of it was over. “How about this,” he suggested after a moment, “Sunday Pajama Day on a Saturday? We can just stay in and relax today?” 

“Two Pajama Days in one weekend? Doing things your way isn’t so bad,” she joked as she got off the bar stool and made her way to the living room for her customary lounging spot. 

It wasn’t long into the first movie they’d put on when Darcy fell asleep, which came as no surprise to Thor. The day immediately following a panic attack was always difficult for Darcy, her body and mind both worn out. He spent the quiet day coming up with a plan for how he could show Darcy that restraints did not matter to him. By the time they were eating dinner that night, he had a plan in place and only needed to begin putting it in motion. 

* * *

“You know, Little One,” Thor said as Darcy grumbled her way out of bed on Tuesday morning, “It may behoove you to wear a dress today.” He smiled at her as he lounged in their bed, no plans for the next few hours. When Darcy turned to look at him and he caught the dour look on her face he added, “You know I’d never insist you wear anything. I’m just telling you it may be in your best interest for later, is all. You can wear whatever you’d like,” he’d continued to say as Darcy walked into her closet and studiously ignored him. 

If she wore a skirt to work it absolutely had nothing to do with Thor. 

* * *

If Darcy had known this day would turn into near back-to-back meetings she would have completely disregarded Thor’s suggested clothing choice this morning and worn her normal leggings and an oversized shirt. She would have been far more comfortable. As it was, she’d just gotten back from her second meeting of the morning where she’d been distracted by what he could possibly want with her. She was looking forward to two solid hours where she could keep her door closed and get some actual work done, so of course, there was an emergency meeting that was scheduled while she’d been away and her two hours was cut to one.  “Friday, any idea what this new meeting is about? There’s no information on the calendar invite,” Darcy asked as she looked over the time that had been blocked off in her day without her permission. 

“I’m afraid not, Miss Lewis. I was told you’re to report to conference room C at the specified time.”

“Okay, thanks,” Darcy called out, silently thanking the scheduling gods that her next set of back to back meetings was at least in the same conference room. 

Forty-five minutes flew by and faster than Darcy had anticipated there was a flashing message on her screen that she should be preparing for the upcoming mystery meeting, as well as the following one on the Avengers brand initiatives for the following year. She gathered her things into the small tote bag she used around the office, stopped for a bottle of water and then went to take her customary seat in the larger conference room on their floor. 

Minutes passed where Darcy was the only one in the room, a time she would typically use to mentally prepare herself for whatever subject she was about to be discussing. This time, with no knowledge of what this presentation would entail, Darcy’s mind was left to continue wondering why Thor had wanted her to wear a dress today. Before long she found herself biting her lower lip as she thought about all of the possibilities, flashes of fantasies flying past her eyes.

She was just beginning to chastise herself for getting carried away with inappropriate thoughts for the middle of the workday when the conference room door opened and shut firmly behind it, the solid sheet of glass rattling in the frame. Thor entered the room with such a commanding presence that Darcy was tempted to kneel before him even though they’d never done that sort of play before. Still, she rose from her chair to greet him, crossing the distance between them in a few strides. 

“Thor, what are you doing here? I have a meeting that’s supposed to start any minute now.”

“I know,” Thor said calmly, “The meeting just started.”

“What? I don’t understand, Friday didn’t have any information about what this was.” 

“Right,” he smiled a slow smile, “There’s got to be some element of mystery. Your meeting is with me.” Before Darcy could reply Thor spoke again, “Return to your seat Little One. Take off your panties and put them in your tote bag.”

Darcy stood frozen in front of him, her heart pounding in her chest while she thought over the order Thor had just given her. She knew if she accepted this command there would be no going back and for one long moment, she wasn’t sure if she could follow through with it. Before she could say anything she stopped herself, she had just been fantasizing about something very similar happening to her, and whereas she hadn’t considered it taking place in the conference room, she wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass her by. 

Turning on her heels, Darcy sauntered back to the chair she’d recently vacated, stopping only to shimmy her panties down her legs before taking a seat. The leather of the office chair was cool against the skin of her thighs, the sudden temperature difference calling immediate attention to the wet heat already between her thighs.  “Good girl,” he continued, “Face the table, rest your hands on top, and do not move or speak until I say to.” 

Darcy immediately rotated in her chair and placed her hands neatly on the top of the table. Thor was a silent figure in the room behind her, his eyes searching her for any slips of motion while he waited for just the right moment to approach. The pause was just long enough for Darcy’s mind to begin wandering, her eyes darting to the glass door where people were passing by in the hall. 

“Stop worrying about them,” Thor spoke from right behind her and Darcy struggled not to jump in her chair or let out a squeal of surprise. “I want you to stand up and lean forward over the table.” 

Darcy bent over the table, bracing herself with her forearms as her dark hair tumbled down to form a curtain around her head. The skirt she’d chosen to wear wasn’t incredibly short by any means but she could tell Thor already had an excellent view of her ass. His hand grazed up her thigh pushing the fabric of the skirt higher until he could tuck it into the waistband and view her entire rear unobstructed. He’d not touched her yet and Darcy found herself leaning into the touch without thinking about it. 

“You’re so lovely, Little One,” Thor spoke. Darcy could hear the rustling of fabric, the pull of a zipper down his jeans, “Now, under normal circumstances, I love nothing more than to hear you screaming out my name, but I think you may be best trying to stay as quiet as possible this time.” His tone was conversational and light, completely at odds with the actions he was taking, boldly stepping forward and pushing himself into Darcy’s tight, slick channel. 

Darcy bit her lip as she felt her body stretch to accommodate him. She took a long, deep breath as she braced her forearms against the table in preparation for what was sure to be a fast, demanding fuck. He pulled back and paused only to thrust into her with enough force to send her rocking forward onto the table. One of his hands grasped her hip to pull her back into a standing position. “Do try and stay standing this time,” Thor spoke evenly which infuriated Darcy who was choking back moans. 

She planted her hands down on the table, her back arched as she prepared for another push from Thor. Each time he pulled back Darcy braced herself again and though she’d not managed to stay completely upright she hadn’t hit the table again. She looked up and noticed the clock on the wall, twenty minutes until her next meeting began which meant she had about ten until people would start milling about in the hall outside the door. 

Darcy’s gaze shifted towards the door and she stilled instinctively when she noticed two of her co-workers engaged in conversation feet away from it. Personal experience taught her that if Jason stepped two feet closer to the wall she’d be in his direct line of sight. She opened her mouth to say something to Thor - what she didn’t entirely know - but was cut off. 

“I thought I told you not to worry about them, Little One?” Thor spoke, his voice low and firm. “If you want to finish you have five minutes to do it,” he added as one of his hands dipped around the front of her body to begin rubbing at her swollen clit. 

Time constraints were new to Darcy, they’d only discussed them before and she’d been unsure she would be able to finish under pressure. Now that Thor had issued the time limit, Darcy was amazed to discover herself growing more and more turned on with every thrust. Thor’s thumb bumped up against her clit in time with his movements and staying quiet was becoming especially hard. 

“One minute,” Thor said from behind her and Darcy bit down a moan as she shook apart in front of him. “Good girl,” Thor praised her as she finished. “When I say go I want you to turn around, kneel before me, and open your mouth, okay?” Darcy nodded and Thor continued to push into her for another moment before uttering, “Go.” 

Darcy’s knees hit the ground faster than she thought possible, her mouth opening to take Thor’s hardened cock with pleasure. As soon as he was enveloped in the wet heat of her mouth he began to come, still pumping slowly while he emptied himself into her. When he finished he pulled himself back, tugging up his jeans and collapsing into the chair Darcy had vacated earlier. 

“You were so perfect, Darcy,” Thor said as he looked down at her admirably. “Did you have a good time?” he asked, leaning forward to root through her tote bag and find her panties. “You can put these on again, I wouldn’t want you to be too uncomfortable in your next meeting,” he winked. 

“That was…” Darcy didn’t have words for what that was. She was still in a post-orgasmic haze, sitting on the floor and clumsily trying to pull her panties back up her legs. “That was amazing,” she settled on once she’d stood up again. 

Thor smiled, “You’ve got ten minutes until the next meeting starts, why don’t you go clean up some?”

“What about the table?” Darcy asked, looking down to where her sweaty handprints were smeared across the shining top for all to see. 

“I’ll take care of it. Leave your tote bag here and go get cleaned. I’ll see you when you get off, okay?” Thor said as he walked her slowly towards the door. 

When Darcy returned to the conference room five minutes later there was no trace of Thor or their previous coupling. That was, there was no trace of it until Darcy sat down. Once seated she could see in the middle of the table if she leaned just right, one gleaming handprint left, she was sure, as a reminder to her of their activities. 

Darcy was blushing slightly just looking at the handprint and then Jason walked in the door and took a seat next to her for the meeting. She was going to kill Thor. 

* * *

“How was the rest of your day?” Thor asked casually from his place in the living room when Darcy got home that evening. His tone and body language conveyed an impossible calm, though inside he was nothing but worried. This could be the moment that Darcy decided to leave him, after all.  Darcy didn’t answer, instead, she set her things down, stepping out of her shoes and crossing the room to straddle Thor’s lap and kiss him. “Thank you,” she said softly when she pulled away for a moment. “Thank you,” she kissed him again. “I’m sorry I doubted you the other day, that was silly of me.”

“No apology necessary, Little One,” Thor smiled. “You must admit, it is hardly the first time I have had to convince you to see things my way.”

Darcy smiled back at him, “I will never argue that point, I would lose every time. Still, thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for being there and showing me it will be okay.”

“I will always be here for you,” Thor replied. “One day, I daresay you’ll actually believe me when I say it,” he smiled at her. 

“Haha, very funny,” Darcy deadpanned. 

“I mean it. I will repeat it as often as you need me to say it, Darcy. I love you, I will always love you, and I will always be here for you.” 

The gravity of Thor’s words hit Darcy like a ton of bricks. She’d never had anyone be so forthright with her about their feelings and known in her soul that they were speaking from the heart. Her past relationships were like old suitcases she’d lugged around with her everywhere she went, a habit that she suddenly found was no longer needed.  With very little trepidation, Darcy mentally shoved the suitcases into an old, forgotten closet and shut the door, ready to begin her new life without them. 

“I know,” Darcy smiled back, “I love you, too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading and commenting. Your encouragement has meant the world to me! While I spent half of last year writing this, I was often overcome with the feeling that no one would ever read this, so to see your subscriptions, kudos, and comments has brought so much happiness to me in the past 11 days.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to CraftingKatie for listening to me whine about this for half of 2018 and the DarcyLand discord server for ensuring me that people would actually read this


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